Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said reliever Justin Martinez will pitch on the back end of the bullpen upon returning from the injured list, but whether he’s used on the very back end will be a “50-50 ball.”
Lovullo was much more clear in regards to how long it may take for Martinez to prove he’s back in rhythm.
“ Probably a half an outing,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.
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“If we see what we like in the middle of an outing, we’ll be like, ‘Okay, here we go.’ We’re human beings. We see three or four good pitches and we’re watching the same thing everybody’s watching at home and everybody’s watching in the stands, and you can tell right away when a guy’s back in his groove and he’s feeling very good.”
The Diamondbacks reinstated Martinez from the 15-day IL on Friday, as he had been on the shelf with “right shoulder inflammation” since May 1, although the issue dates back to April 18.
He did not get the chance to hop on the mound in Friday night’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals as the D-backs fell behind in the sixth inning. His last outing came with Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
Martinez dominated during the opening couple weeks of the season with nine shutout innings and 11 strikeouts. Lovullo explained his young flamethrower’s return impacts the bullpen in ways beyond his own outings.
“It’s gotta be uplifting for that group. It’s certainly uplifting for the team, but specifically that group,” Lovullo said of his return to the bullpen.
“Everybody’s been bumped up probably a role, maybe sometimes two roles. It’s gonna be a relief. It was the Paul Sewald effect getting him in that trade in 2023, where everybody kind of fell down a role into a more familiar place where they can go and help us win games out of the bullpen.”
The D-backs went into the season with a plan to use co-closers based on matchups with the right-handed Martinez and left-hander A.J. Puk. That strategy did not last, as Puk went on the IL retroactive to April 18 with left elbow inflammation that will keep him out until a least late June.
Shelby Miller has taken over the closer role, and if Martinez regains that position, it allows the D-backs to reinsert Miller into a setup situation with Jalen Beeks and Kevin Ginkel.
Martinez’s teammates cheered when he entered the team bus for Busch Stadium on Friday, AZCentral.com’s Nick Piecoro reported.
The Diamondbacks and Cardinals resume their three-game series on Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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