Diamondbacks Lose Key Reliever Justin Martinez to Shoulder Injury, Raise Questions About Bullpen Depth
The Arizona Diamondbacks have taken a tough blow to their bullpen, placing hard-throwing right-hander Justin Martinez on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The move comes after a concerning outing against the New York Mets, where Martinez’s velocity dipped significantly and he failed to record a single out.
Martinez entered the ninth inning with a three-run cushion but quickly lost command. He gave up a solo homer to Tyrone Taylor and then walked Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, forcing manager Torey Lovullo to pull the plug. Ryan Thompson stepped in to close the door, securing a 4–3 win — but the damage to Martinez’s health was already evident.
The righty’s fastball, normally clocking in the upper 90s, was down to 95–96 mph — a notable drop compared to his previous outing against the Braves and nearly five mph slower than his peak last season. Following the game, Martinez flew back to Arizona for an MRI after experiencing shoulder fatigue throughout late April.
To fill the roster spot, the Diamondbacks recalled lefty José Castillo from Triple-A Reno. They also shifted A.J. Puk to the 60-day IL, extending his recovery from elbow inflammation. The absence of Martinez and Puk — who have tallied seven of Arizona’s nine saves — leaves a major question mark around the closer role.
“We were all watching the same thing — his stuff was clearly down,” Lovullo said prior to the series finale in New York. “He feels like it’s nothing serious, but we want to be cautious. Our priority is getting him healthy and back at full speed.”
Lovullo has not yet named a replacement for the closer’s job, instead emphasizing a team-wide effort to weather the storm. “We’ll miss A.J. and ‘J-Mart,’ but they’ll recover and return ready to contribute. For now, everyone needs to step up, keep the ship steady, and find ways to win.”
As Arizona continues its push through a competitive National League, all eyes will be on how the bullpen adapts — and whether Martinez’s MRI brings good news or more uncertainty.