Martinez allowed one walk over a scoreless and hitless inning in Tuesday's 9-4 loss to Boston. He also hit a batter and uncorked a wild pitch.
Martinez made his first appearance since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday. It had been 435 days since he last pitched in the majors, as Martinez spent that time recovering from a second Tommy John elbow surgery. The right-handed reliever came on to pitch the eighth inning in a low-leverage situation, but the one-time Arizona closer could regain the ninth-inning role over the final stretch of the season.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Rehab moves to Triple-A
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Martinez (elbow) struck out two and over a perfect inning in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
Martinez moved his rehab up from Single-A Visalia to Reno for the third appearance of his rehab. Between the two stops, the right-hander has struck out five and allowed no hits and one walk over three scoreless frames. Martinez is scheduled for at least one more appearance with Reno on Thursday, per Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com, but Martinez could be activated at some point during the team's road trip, which runs Friday through Wednesday.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Nearing return to Arizona
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Martinez (elbow) is expected to make up to two more rehab appearances before being reinstated from the 60-day injured list, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.
Making his way back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, Martinez has made two scoreless rehab appearances with Single-A Visalia, posting a 3:1 K:BB over two hitless innings. According to Gambadoro, Martinez is likely to be activated either Sunday in Atlanta or Monday in Boston. The 25-year-old could reclaim the Diamondbacks' closer job if he looks sharp, though Martinez may first be eased back in with some lower-leverage appearances.
Martinez (elbow) struck out two over a perfect inning in his first rehab appearance at Single-A Visalia on Tuesday.
Pitching in a game for the first time since June 9, 2025, Martinez aced the test while retiring the side on 14 pitches (eight strikes). Martinez is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could need close to the full 30-day rehab window to shake off rust and hone his command and control. If Martinez pitches effectively during his rehab stint, he could be a factor in Arizona's unsettled closer picture once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.
Martinez (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia next week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Martinez has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He's been cleared to face hitters for the past two weeks, and he's scheduled to pitch in a simulated game at the team's spring training complex this weekend before joining one of Arizona's minor-league affiliates. The 25-year-old righty will likely require an extended rehab assignment after spending more than a year on the shelf, but he could still make it back to the D-backs' bullpen before the end of August.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Throws another live BP session
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Martinez (elbow) completed a second live batting practice Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that the next steps for Martinez will be a bullpen session followed by a bridge game at the team's training facility. The former closer is on a path to return later in August, although he could be pushed out until September when rosters expand. Martinez is not expected to resume his role as closer when he does return, as Paul Sewald has been effective in that role all season.
Martinez (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session soon, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.
Martinez has been progressing with his bullpen sessions and is nearly ready to face hitters for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last July. If he continues his recovery at his current pace, Martinez could be ready to rejoin the Arizona bullpen sometime in August.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Advances to bullpen session
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Martinez (elbow) tossed a bullpen session Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
This was Martinez's first time throwing off a mound since he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last July. Per Piecoro, the reliever was at 96-to-99 mph with his fastball during the bullpen session. Martinez still has several more hurdles to clear in his rehab program, and he's not expected to be ready to return to Arizona's bullpen until sometime after the All-Star break.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Throwing on flat ground
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Martinez (elbow) is throwing from up to 120 feet on flat ground, MLB.com reports.
The next milestone for Martinez will be throwing from a mound. He underwent Tommy John elbow surgery last June and is shooting for a return in the second half of the 2026 season.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Back on 60-day IL
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The Diamondbacks placed Martinez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday.
The move will create space on Arizona's 40-man roster for Paul Sewald, who signed with the club on Thursday. Martinez underwent Tommy John surgery in June and is expected to return to the D-backs' bullpen near the end of August.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Out for season
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Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Martinez (elbow) is expected to be sidelined for at least 12-to-13 months, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.
The right-hander is still headed for a second opinion on the UCL sprain that sent him to the injured list earlier this week, but the initial diagnosis is apparently severe enough to safely rule him out for the next year. Martinez's absence could extend through the entirety of the 2026 campaign if traditional Tommy John surgery is necessary. Shelby Miller picked up his seventh save of the season Wednesday, and it appears he'll get the first crack at taking over as Arizona's closer.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Struggles with control in save
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Martinez registered the save in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Atlanta, allowing one run on no hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
It was certainly a shaky outing by Martinez despite allowing no hits, as he gave up a season-high four walks while throwing just 17 of his 37 pitches for strikes. It was encouraging to see manager Torey Lovullo trust Martinez to record five outs for his fifth save of the year, but the hard-throwing right-hander seems unlikely to be available for Thursday's series finale against Atlanta after tossing so many pitches. Despite owning a 5.79 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 9:5 K:BB over 4.2 innings since coming off the injured list, Martinez still appears to be the favorite for saves in Arizona's bullpen.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Strands three inherited runners
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Martinez struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Monday's 5-0 win over Pittsburgh.
Martinez's hold felt like a save. He entered the eighth inning with none out and the bases loaded and got a strikeout, popout and groundout. At the time when Martinez was activated off the injured list, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo indicated he'd prefer to ease him back before returning Martinez to a ninth-inning role, but Monday's outing may have jump-started the move back to closer.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Tagged with first blown save
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Martinez (1-2) was charged with his first blown save of the season and took the loss Saturday against the Cardinals, coughing up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. He struck out two.
Brought on in the bottom of the eighth inning to protect a 4-3 lead in his first action since coming off the IL on Friday, Martinez struck out the first batter he faced but quickly ran into trouble before giving up a two-out, two-run single to Jordan Walker. The usage suggests Shelby Miller would have been used in the ninth if Arizona still held the lead, but it might only take a couple clean appearances for Martinez to regain the closer role. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told Joe Harris of MLB.com upon Martinez's activation off the injured list Friday that he would be eased back into closing duties. That's easier said than done, however -- he's been tagged for a run in four straight games dating back to late April, prior to being shut down with shoulder inflammation. On the bright side, Martinez showed his usual elite velocity Saturday as he hit triple digits on the radar gun with six of his 23 pitches.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Returns from 15-day IL
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The Diamondbacks activated Martinez (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Friday.
Martinez has been shelved for most of May with right shoulder inflammation but is ready to go after making two scoreless rehab appearances. He reached 101.1 mph with his sinker during his last outing at Triple-A Reno, which is particularly encouraging after his velocity had dipped prior to the IL stint. Martinez might be eased back into ninth-inning duty, but it shouldn't be long before he reclaims the closer role with Shelby Miller carrying a 5.63 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in May.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Could return for weekend series
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers that Martinez (shoulder) has a good chance to return from the 15-day injured list for this weekend's series in St. Louis, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.
Martinez has been on the shelf since May 1 due to right shoulder inflammation, an injury that resulted in a significant drop in velocity in his last couple of relief appearances before he was deactivated. The right-hander seems to have bounced back nicely from the extended rest, as he tossed scoreless innings in both of his minor-league rehab appearances and reached 101.1 miles per hour with his sinker during his most recent outing with Triple-A Reno on Tuesday. Per John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports, Martinez flew back to Phoenix on Wednesday, and assuming the Arizona training staff was satisfied with his health, he'll accompany the Diamondbacks on their road trip and will likely be activated Friday. Martinez should eventually settle back in as the Diamondbacks' preferred option at closer, though it's possible that manager Torey Lovullo chooses to ease him back in with a low-leverage appearance or two.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Throws scoreless inning at Triple-A
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Martinez (shoulder) allowed one hit over a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
Martinez made his second appearance while on rehab assignment after throwing an inning in a rookie-level Arizona Complex League game Saturday. The reliever has already spent more than the minimum 15 days on the injured list, so he could be on track for activation at some point in the coming days.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Continuing rehab at Triple-A
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Martinez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw an inning for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday as part of his rehab assignment, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.
Martinez is working his way back from right shoulder inflammation and is nearing a return. A report Sunday indicated he'd rejoin the team either for the start of a series against the Dodgers on Monday or for a weekend set against St. Louis beginning Friday. With Martinez throwing an inning for Reno on Tuesday, it's expected he'll rejoin the big-league club ahead of its series against the Cardinals.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Return date nearing
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Martinez (shoulder) could be activated from the injured list to begin the Diamondbacks series against the Dodgers on Monday, or the team could wait until its series against the Cardinals on Friday, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.
Martinez made his first rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday. The next step will either be activation or having his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Reno. Regardless of his exact return date, Martinez should be available for the Diamondbacks within the next week.
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Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Will pitch in ACL game Saturday
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Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo said Friday that Martinez (shoulder) will throw in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Martinez is in the final stages of his recovery from right shoulder inflammation, which caused him to be placed on the 15-day injured list in early May. He progressed to facing live batters earlier this week, and he'll take the next step in his rehab program by throwing in an ACL game Saturday. Martinez could return to the big club shortly after Saturday's outing depending on how his shoulder responds.
