ST. LOUIS (AP) — Six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez is joining the New York Mets as a special assistant to baseball operations.
The 38-year-old Martinez last played in 2024 for the Mets, the final season of his 14-year career with six teams.
“Everybody saw what he meant to the team in 2024 when he first came out, not only on the field, but off the field,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Great guy in the clubhouse. He’s just super consistent, very knowledgeable and a very positive guy that’s won a World Series, being in the playoffs. I think overall, huge, huge addition. I was super excited when I found out.”
Mendoza envisions Martinez’s role as being similar to that of Carlos Beltran, another former Mets player who was hired as a special assistant to the general manager in 2023.
“Not only with the position players, but with the pitchers,” Mendoza said. “You know, there’s so much information. The value of having pitchers talking to a hall of famer in Carlos Beltran and now a guy like J.D. Martinez, in the mind and everything that they bring to the table. So that’s how we see it moving forward.”
Mendoza said talks with Martinez about the position started in spring training.
“I think it’s just like the two parties needing to come together, you know, and having J.D. to be willing to do it,” Mendoza said. “I mean, he’s having a pretty good life right now.”
Martinez batted .283 and had 331 home runs in 6,512 at-bats over 1,642 career games for Houston, Detroit, Arizona, Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez watches his run scoring a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The crews of two AH-64 Apache helicopters that hovered next to Kid Rock's swimming pool while he clapped and saluted on Saturday have been suspended from flying pending a investigation of their actions, a U.S. Army spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The suspension is a discretionary, but not unusual, step when an investigation is underway, Maj. Montrell Russell said.
“The Army has confirmed that on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention," according to a statement from the Army on Tuesday. The Army is reviewing "the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements."
Kid Rock, an entertainer who is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, told WKRN-TV on Monday that it's not uncommon for helicopters from nearby Fort Campbell to fly near his home. He said he is a big supporter of the military and he's performed for troops overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.
“I think they know this is a pretty friendly spot,” he said. He noted that last Thanksgiving he was at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army base on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, with Vice President JD Vance. “I've talked to some of these pilots. I've told them, ‘You guys see me waving when you come by the house?' I’m like, ‘You guys are always welcome to cruise by my house, any time,’” he said.
Kid Rock posted two short videos on social media Saturday. Each shows a helicopter hovering alongside his swimming pool while the entertainer claps, salutes and raises his fist in the air. One post included a caption by Kid Rock disparaging Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump suggested maybe the crews shouldn’t have done it before adding, “I like Kid Rock, maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.”
In the videos, Kid Rock stands next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty and a sign by the pool that reads, “The Southern White House.” His home on a hill overlooking Nashville was built to resemble the White House.
The helicopters were on a training mission when they stopped by Kid Rock's house, said Maj. Jonathon Bless, public affairs officer for the 101st Airborne Division. The helicopters also flew over a “No Kings” protest against Trump in downtown Nashville, but Bless said their presence had nothing to do with the protest.
Kid Rock said he thought it was “really cool” that they stopped to hover at his house.
“If it makes their day a little brighter for their service to our country, protecting us, I think that’s a great thing," he said.
Asked about possible repercussions for the crews, he said, “I think they’re going to be all right. My buddy’s the commander in chief.”
__
Associated Press reporter Collin Binkley contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.
FILE - A military helicopter flies over a No Kings protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Kid Rock comes on stage to speak and introduce Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Fort Campbell, Ky., Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
