This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO -- Davis Martin is pitching for a special team whenever he takes the mound.
An obvious answer is, “Of course he is. It’s the White Sox.” They are stationed across the front of his jersey, and they are the team who selected Martin in the 14th round of the 2018 Draft. But the team being referenced in this instance is a bit smaller and, to be honest, far more important.
It’s his wife, Jenna, and his son, Doak. They are with him every home and road step of the way during the 2025 season, marking Martin’s first full campaign following Tommy John surgery in May 2023 after just three starts with Triple-A Charlotte.
“She wants to see all the stadiums,” Martin said of his wife. “Again, this thing only lasts so long. Even 10-year big leaguers say it ends eventually. We are trying to enjoy every day together and enjoy this experience together.”
Doak, who is 1 1/2 years old, loves hotel rooms -- and any hotel close to an airport where he can see airplanes, according to his dad. But even as they were becoming a family of three, Jenna provided the support to get her husband through the good times and the tougher moments.
There was a rehab choice for the Martins after his Tommy John surgery, either stay in the Dallas area with Dr. Keith Meister or go to Arizona. For 14 months, the Martins went all in on Arizona, where Davis could be around the White Sox Camelback Ranch facility and the club’s training staff in Glendale. Jenna came with him and was about six months pregnant when they arrived in the unwelcoming Arizona heat of late May.
“She was in her third trimester, and Arizona broke the record for most 110-plus [degree] days in a row,” Martin said. “So she was like with an extra weight vest, and she was like, ‘I’m dying here.’ She grinded.”
Now, Martin is one of the White Sox rotation staples, with a 4.01 ERA over eight games (seven starts). The 28-year-old, amid his third big league season and the White Sox latest rebuild, could eventually become a trade target.
But like so many other players and their families in this situation, the Martins aren’t worried about next month, or maybe even next week. It’s a concept stemming from his nine trips up and down from the Majors to the Minors in 2022.
“Four doubleheaders and five options,” said Martin with a wry smile. “Whatever happens, happens. That’s our mindset. We are not getting too far ahead of us.
“We are enjoying the day-to-day, the off days, the traveling. Whatever that may be, and wherever we are at the end of the year, it’s where we are. We are having a good time and enjoying the fact that we are here together.”
Jenna was an outside hitter for the Texas Tech volleyball team, the same school for which Davis posted a 21-9 record and a 3.50 ERA over 45 games (40 starts) in three collegiate seasons. He gives his wife the nod as the far better athlete, hoping their son gets her traits in that area.
Her competitive nature and loving support guided Davis through the rigors of Tommy John recovery to where they can now celebrate success as a family.
“People don’t understand, a lot of times, what happens to us usually trickles down into the family as well,” Martin said. “With Tommy John, the inability to do anything really, like you are pretty much stagnant.
“You kind of almost feel like a waste of space sometimes. I credit her for being the one who picked me up, brushed me off and said, ‘Hey, this is what we are doing. This is why we are doing it. I’m here. Your son is here.’ Without her support, I think that Tommy John would have been pretty awful.”
As a die-hard Eagles fan who is still celebrating Super Bowl championship dominance, Davis jokes how he would like to name their next child Saquon or Saquonda in honor of running back Saquon Barkley and his more than 2,000 yards rushing this past season. He’s not winning that battle, despite Jenna also being a fan of Barkley.
With Mother’s Day approaching Sunday, they simply are celebrating what they have presently.
“To finally be in a position where we are able to fully enjoy this thing together and be in one spot for a little bit, it’s been truly incredible,” Martin said. “We are doing this thing together and enjoying everything the big leagues have to offer for both of us.
“She’s an incredible companion. She always pushed me to be my best version of myself, whether that’s picking me up or keeping me humble. … I know she’s proud of me, but I couldn’t do it without her.”