Imaging and/or a trip to the injured list are in play for Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Justin Martinez, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters after a 4-3 win at the New York Mets on Wednesday.
Martinez gave an alarming performance at Citi Field, as his stuff did not resemble its typical dominance. He entered the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead for a save opportunity and threw 14 pitches, only five of which were strikes.
His sinker velocity was well below his usual heat. Martinez averaged 100.6 mph on the sinker last year and sat above 100 mph this season before his last two outings.
On Wednesday, Martinez did not eclipse 96.6 mph with the sinker, nor did he throw a single four-seamer. He gave up a home run to Tyrone Taylor on a 95.6-mph sinker in the zone and then walked Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.
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Lovullo removed him from the game and called on Ryan Thompson, who managed the save.
Justin Martinez’s recent stretch
Martinez has had an odd couple weeks.
He threw back-to-back games in Miami on April 16-17, looking like himself. He did not pitch again until April 23, with the club describing his ailment as fatigue and then later as shoulder fatigue. The term “dead arm” has been thrown around but not as definitive.
On Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, Martinez’s sinker was down at 97.9 mph. The following day, his sinker and four-seamer were down more than 2 mph from his average, closer to 97 mph flat.
Then it continued to decline on Wednesday.
“Of course I am concerned,” Lovullo after Martinez pitched on Sunday. “That’s what we were talking about in my office right before I came in here. We take care of these players. We make sure they’re healthy. If they’re healthy, we put them out there to compete. He is assuring us that he’s healthy. The testing from the medical team is assuring us that he’s healthy.”
The Diamondbacks entered the season counting on Martinez to be a shutdown, back-end reliever along with A.J. Puk. They started the year splitting save opportunities to promising results.
After his second Miami appearance, Martinez started the year with seven shutout innings and 10 strikeouts.
He has some of the best raw stuff in the game, deploying that triple-digit heat along with a uniquely deceptive splitter and a slider. The Diamondbacks bet on his continued development before the season with a five-year, $18 million contract extension that includes a couple team options.
Justin Martinez, K'ing the Side. pic.twitter.com/YHifuFxz2e
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2025
On April 19, the D-backs placed Puk on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. He will not undergo surgery, as he will shut down for two-to-three weeks and resume throwing once asymptomatic.
With Puk down, this appears to be the time for Martinez to handle the bulk of save situations, but something has evidently gotten in the way that the team will evaluate.
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