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Top Nick Martinez News
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Locked into rotation spot
Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Martinez (ribs) is locked into a rotation spot, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
That's assuming Martinez's rib issue is indeed minor as the team suspects. He joins Frankie Montas, Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft in the rotation, with Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson (shoulder) in the mix for the fifth spot, at least until Nick Lodolo (lower leg) is ready. Signed to a two-year, $26 million contract in November, Martinez officially has just five Cactus League innings under his belt this spring but has yielded only one unearned run with a 7:1 K:BB over that time. Just nine of Martinez's 63 appearances last season came as a starter, but he posted a 2.32 ERA and 37:18 K:BB over 42.2 frames in those outings.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: On track to start season
Martinez (ribs) threw three innings at the Reds' complex Saturday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Martinez's rib injury scratched him from a start Thursday, and the Reds opted for a more controlled environment for his subsequent throwing session. It's unclear if the session was a simulated game, as reported by Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, or live batting practice, as reported by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Whatever it was, Rosecrans reports Martinez felt great afterward, and the hiccup should not delay the start of the season for the right-hander.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Facing hitters Saturday
Martinez (ribs) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Martinez's scheduled outing Thursday was pushed back to Saturday due to a rib injury, but it appears the 33-year-old right-hander will work on the practice field instead. Martinez has previously said that he doesn't feel any discomfort while on the mound, and the Reds are confident he will be ready to go by Opening Day.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Saturday outing up in air
Reds manager David Bell said Friday that Martinez (rib) is not a lock to start Saturday as previously anticipated, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Martinez has pitched through a rib issue in his last couple Cactus League appearances, but he was scratched from a scheduled start Thursday, throwing long toss instead. The pitcher doesn't feel any pain while on the mound but is in some discomfort doing day-to-day things. If Martinez does start Saturday, it could be in either a Cactus League game or a minor-league contest. The Reds are still confident he'll be ready for the start of the season.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Pushed back two days
Martinez's next Cactus League appearance has been pushed back from Thursday to Saturday because of a rib injury, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Reds manager David Bell said that Martinez "may have a rib out of place," but the right-hander was still able to play long-toss Thursday and will start in a couple days. At this point, it doesn't sound like an injury to be concerned about. Martinez has allowed one unearned run with a 7:1 K:BB over five innings this spring. He's expected to open the season in Cincinnati's rotation.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Perfect before rain
Martinez threw four perfect innings and struck out six before rain forced the cancellation of Friday's spring start against the Dodgers.
Martinez faced the best the Dodgers had, including Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in what was easily his most impressive Cactus League outing. He struck out Freeman twice. The right-hander entered the game having allowed one unearned run while striking out seven over five spring innings. At the start of camp, it was unclear of which role Martinez would fill -- he has experience both a starter and multi-inning reliever -- but it looks like there's a place for him in Cincinnati's rotation.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Opening Day rotation likely
With Nick Lodolo (leg) behind schedule this spring, both Andrew Abbott and Martinez are likely to begin the season in the starting rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Initially, Martinez and Abbott were considered competitors for the fifth starter's job, but that decision will be deferred until Lodolo is up to speed and banging down the door to start.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Fifth starter competition
Martinez, Andrew Abbott and to a lesser extent, Brandon Williamson, are competing for the Reds' fifth starter role, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Martinez would still pitch in a high-leverage role out of the bullpen should he lose out to Abbott, a role he has filled before. This presumes Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Lodolo (lower leg) are all healthy enough to begin the season, which is no sure thing.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Makes spring debut
Martinez walked one and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League start against the Brewers.
The Reds deployed Martinez and Andrew Abbott in their two split-squad games. Abbott is penciled in for the rotation, but Martinez's role is less clear. He wants to start but has been effective in a dual starter/reliever role.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Wants to start
Martinez said Thursday that he prefers starting but is willing to handle a bullpen role, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I haven't been shy in saying that I prefer starting, but I also find a lot of things I am passionate about as a reliever," Martinez said.
Martinez, who has been a swingman the last two seasons for San Diego, is one of 10 arms competing for a spot in Cincinnati's rotation. The Reds signed him to a two-year, $26 million deal during the offseason and expect him to fill a pivotal role. If the right-hander isn't starting, then he'll be called on in high-leverage situations. Martinez's versatility wasn't his only attractive trait; he was in the 98th percentile with an average exit velocity of 84.7 mph and 95th percentile in hard-hit rate (29.9 percent) in 2023.
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Reds' Nick Martinez: Agrees to terms with Cincinnati
Martinez agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract with the Reds on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Martinez opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Padres in early November and will head to Cincinnati on a deal that includes an increased salary and an opt-out after the 2024 campaign. The right-hander was reliable in San Diego over the past two seasons, posting a 3.45 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 216.2 innings over 110 appearances (19 starts). Although he converted just nine of his 16 save chances, he picked up 23 holds, including a career-high 15 last year. The Reds already have one of the top closers in baseball in Alexis Diaz, and they signed Emilio Pagan to a one-year, $8 million contract Wednesday. Pagan should be available as a setup man, and Cincinnati has been rumored to be in the market to acquire several other pitchers during the offseason. However, Martinez could also see some setup duties ahead of Diaz and will also be available to serve as a starter or long reliever when needed.
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Nick Martinez: Enters open market
Martinez and the Padres both declined their respective options for 2024 and 2025 on Saturday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Padres held two $16 million options on Martinez for the next two seasons. The team declined both, converting them into $8 million player options, which Martinez also turned down. The 33-year-old reliever logged a 3.43 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while recording 15 holds, and he figures to draw a fair amount of attention from teams in need of multi-inning relief help.
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Padres' Nick Martinez: Fans eight in win
Martinez (6-4) earned the win Friday, allowing two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings against the White Sox. He struck out eight.
It was his longest outing since April 19, and the right-hander retired 11 straight batters at one point to help keep the White Sox at bay. The versatile Martinez contributed 110.1 quality innings for the Padres this season, starting nine of his 63 appearances while compiling six wins, 15 holds and one save with a 3.43 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 106 strikeouts.
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Padres' Nick Martinez: Goes four scoreless innings
Martinez allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three over four scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Saturday.
Martinez and Pedro Avila again worked in tandem, though Martinez threw 62 pitches to Avila's 47 and enjoyed better results. Through 14 innings in September, Martinez has allowed just one run while posting a 15:4 K:BB. He's at a 3.59 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 98:38 K:BB through 105.1 innings overall, and he's added a save and 15 holds while primarily working as a long reliever this season. If the Padres opt to stick with the tandem strategy for their fifth-starter spot, Martinez would be projected for a road outing versus the White Sox during the final series of the regular season.
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Padres' Nick Martinez: Gets starting chance Saturday
The Padres list Martinez as their probable starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Cardinals at Petco Park.
San Diego hasn't formally clarified its pitching plans for Saturday, but Martinez will likely be deployed in tandem with Pedro Avila after that pairing worked successfully this past Sunday in Oakland. In the Padres' 10-1 win over the Athletics, Martinez opened the game with five strikeouts over three scoreless, one-hit frames, while Avila followed with the exact same pitching line. Martinez could add an inning or two to his workload Saturday, though Avila would probably be the pitcher most likely to pick up a win if he ends up being available in bulk relief.
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Padres' Nick Martinez: Fires three strong innings
Martinez served as the Padres' opening pitcher in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Athletics, taking a no-decision while striking out five and allowing one hit and no walks over three scoreless innings.
Martinez allowed a first-inning single to Zack Gelof but otherwise put the clamps on the Oakland offense. The three innings and 40 pitches represented Martinez's heaviest workload since he tossed 59 pitches in an Aug. 19 appearance. Pedro Avila came on behind Martinez to toss three shutout innings in bulk relief, and the two could be deployed in tandem again during the Padres' series next weekend versus St. Louis. After the sterling outing Sunday, Martinez now has a 3.73 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 95:35 K:BB in 101.1 innings on the season.
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Padres' Nick Martinez: Opening Sunday's game
Martinez will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Sunday's game at Oakland.
Martinez has already made six starts this season, but he hasn't recorded more than nine outs in any appearance since April 19 and most recently pitched Wednesday, when he tossed an inning out of the bullpen. The Padres aren't likely to ask Martinez to work more than 1-to-3 innings before he turns the game over to Pedro Avila, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever after starting in his last four appearances.
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Player Bio
HT/WT: 6-1, 200 lbs |
Birthplace: Miami, FL |
Age: 33 |
Experience: 5 |
Bats/Throws: L, R |