BOSTON — Should he decide to remain here for 2021, getting J.D. Martinez back on track will be one of the top priorities for the Red Sox next season.

The middle of the Boston lineup hasn’t been the same with the slugger staggering through this campaign. Martinez’s pair of hits on Saturday night represented just his 10th multi-hit game of the season.

That they were both singles also speaks to Martinez’s current form — he’s had multiple extra-base hits in a game only twice. Martinez was just 5-for-47 in his previous 12, slashing an anemic .106/.204/.234. He totaled two home runs, seven walks and 19 strikeouts in that span.

“I know this sounds kind of like an excuse but he’s feeling some bad habits,” Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers said. “Right now, he’s trying to deal with his back side — we call it his back hip. He’s just jumping off his back side and creating some length in his swing on the back side.

“That’s the reason he’s late to fastballs. I know he’s working on it. Last night was a lot better.”

Martinez was an American League All-Star in each of his first two seasons with the Red Sox. He belted 70 doubles, 79 home runs and slashed a robust .317/.392/.593. There was genuine trepidation about whether or not Martinez would opt out of the remaining three years of his contract, which runs through the 2022 season.

“With a guy that’s been as consistent as he has over the years, to go through this little stretch has been pretty rough for him,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said Friday, as Martinez went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in a 6-5, 12-inning defeat. “You keep thinking he’s going to come out of it; he has some good games and then he doesn’t.”

Martinez has been denied his regimented pregame and postgame routines due to COVID-19 protocols. Clubs are limited in terms of arrival and departure times to and from the ballpark. The 60-game schedule also has placed more urgency on each at-bat to snap out of what is now a season-long slide.

“With the shortened season and how things add up, yes, it’s going to knock his confidence down,” Hyers said. “He starts to doubt. He’s a competitor and he’s wanting to put the team on his shoulders and produce for the fans and for this organization.

“You try a little too much. I think that’s part of the mechanical flaw. You try to hit it a little further. You try to hit the big home run and you come out of your mechanics. You’re not relaxed.”

Now the question is whether or not Martinez will merit the $22-million average annual value under the Competitive Balance Tax over the next two seasons. As an elite bat on a contender, he has tremendous value, as proved during Boston’s run to the 2018 World Series crown. But should the 33-year-old wish to be more certain of a return to October elsewhere, the Red Sox might be able to use those available dollars to bolster their multiple weak spots.

Martinez will make his decision within the few days that follow the World Series finale. A possible Game 7 at Globe Life Field — the new home of the Texas Rangers — is scheduled for Oct. 28.

Injury update

Austin Brice (right lat strain) and Andrew Triggs (right radial nerve irritation) both threw bullpens prior to Sunday’s game and could rejoin the Red Sox in the final week.

Brice and Triggs are two of several Boston pitchers currently on the injured list. Darwinzon Hernandez was activated prior to Friday night’s game against the Yankees. Zack Godley (right elbow flexor strain) has been transferred to the 45-day IL and will not pitch again in 2020.

Josh Taylor also played catch in right field prior to the game. He’s battling left shoulder tendinitis and might be done for the year. Taylor’s season debut was delayed while recovering from COVID-19, and he’s not one of the pitchers the Red Sox need to evaluate for a possible roster spot going forward.

“We’ve talked before about how important it is for some guys to come back and pitch,” Roenicke said. “Really, Josh is one of the guys where I don’t think it’s that important for him to come back and throw.

“If it’s important to him, that’s different. We’ll make sure we continue to talk to him on the medical side and see what’s best for him.”

Alex Verdugo (hamstring tightness) and Christian Arroyo (back spasms) were both unavailable Sunday for the Red Sox.

Verdugo missed his second straight game after leaving in the fourth inning Friday night. Arroyo exited midway through Saturday’s 8-0 defeat, the first time Boston has been shut out this season.

Cesar Puello made his second straight start in right field and Tzu-Wei Lin returned to the lineup at second base. Xander Bogaerts (rest) also was given a scheduled day off.

“Hopefully, with the off day tomorrow and being off today, they’ll be able to go Tuesday,” Roenicke said.

Looking ahead

The Red Sox begin their final home series of the season on Tuesday night.

Boston welcomes the Orioles for three games and will start Nathan Eovaldi in the second. The club has yet to decide on a pitcher for Thursday’s finale.

Roenicke said he knows the identity of Tuesday’s starter but wasn’t ready to share it just yet. But he’s dropped enough clues over the last week to allow for a reasonable guess. Nick Pivetta would be on full rest and should be promoted from the alternate site at Pawtucket to take the ball.

“I’d rather wait until later today when we announce who will go Tuesday,” Roenicke said. “Then he’ll also go the last day.

“You guys can guess. You guys have been pretty good at it. You guys know.”

Pivetta, if he is indeed the mystery man, would be making his 72nd start in the big leagues. The right-hander was acquired along with Connor Seabold in an August trade that sent relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree to the Phillies.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25