ST. LOUIS – Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martinez was excited to get on the team bus to Busch Stadium on Friday. His teammates were equally as excited to see him.
“You don't know how much you love this game until you can’t play,” Martinez said. “So, when you go to the IL, you realize how much you love this and that was a little tough, you know, watching the guys play on TV at home.”
Martinez, who had been battling right shoulder fatigue, was reinstated from the 15-day injured list before the start of a three-game series against the Cardinals. Right-hander Christian Montes De Oca was optioned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.
Martinez suffered a dip in his velocity, which led to the IL stint. But as of now, he feels good.
“I was happy because, you know, my velo went down, and I was wondering what was going on, but I started working and believed in the process,” Martinez said. “Shout out to the trainers. They do a really good job.”
Imaging showed no structural damage to the shoulder. The triple-digit velocity returned during a rehab stint in Reno.
“His magic marker is, if I can throw over 100, I'm good,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “So, I think he's 101, maybe touched 102, so we felt very strongly that if he went there, night game routine, that was going to show up and he's ready.”
Martinez’s return gives a big boost to a bullpen that's had its struggles this season. He is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and he converted all three of his save opportunities before the injury.
Lovullo didn’t commit to putting Martinez back in the closer’s role immediately.
“He's going to be on the back end,” Lovullo said. “At some point, I'm going to find him and look for him to close games for us, but for right now, I want to just see what it looks like. And I'll know two or three pitches into his first outing what he's feeling like. He's going to show us and tell us. So, the more information I get, the closer he gets to the very back end.”