Martin Injury Delivers Big Blow to D-backs Revamped Bullpen

The Diamondbacks suffered two key injuries to the bullpen today, with Mark Melancon and Corbin Martin each suffering shoulder injuries that could keep them out for the foreseeable future. 

Martin, 27, was having a strong camp in which he rediscovered his explosive arsenal and was on the inside track to earn a key spot in the D-backs revamped bullpen. He entered the game in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers and struck out the first two hitters with mid-90s fastballs. After his first pitch to Keston Hiura, Martin recoiled his right arm in serious pain and would need to be helped off the field. 

After the game, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Martin has "right shoulder discomfort" and will undergo further testing tomorrow to clarify the extent of the injury. "It hasn't been easy for him, as far as his health, and he's been grinding" said Lovullo. "I feel like he's found a niche, and we're going to hope for the best news possible and he'll be right back out here".

The injury is another setback for Martin, who has more than his fair share of those since his big league debut in 2019. After undergoing Tommy John surgery that July, he has struggled to stay healthy as a starter and the team decided the bullpen would be a better route to keep his high octane arm healthy throughout the season. 

It was reported earlier that Melancon will miss the start of the season. After struggling for much of the 2022 season, the injury couldn't have been any worse for both the 37-year-old reliever and the team. Lovullo says the shoulder issue popped up out of nowhere and came to his attention in a conversation with bullpen coach Mike Fetters yesterday. Melancon last pitched on March 10th and saw his velocity take a significant dip in his three Cactus League outings. 

With the injuries to Martin and Melancon, that offers up opportunities to players who might have been on the outside looking in for a roster spot. Relievers who have had a strong camp include Luis Frias, Cole Sulser, Jeurys Familia, Carlos Vargas, and Kevin Ginkel. 

Earlier in the game, there was a scary collision in the first between second baseman Diego Castillo and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. Even though both players exited the game, it appears they avoided serious injury. Castillo suffered a neck spasm and Perdomo had a chest contusion and are considered day-to-day.

Despite the game being cancelled after three innings, the D-backs managed to still get work in for Miguel Castro, Jeurys Familia, and Kevin Ginkel. Castro allowed two hits, one of them coming on the aforementioned collision, but got all five out of his outs on ground balls including a 6-4-3 double play. Familia faced five hitters and retired four of them, two coming via punchouts. Ginkel retired the only batter he faced on a ground out. 

The D-backs were also able to take advantage of gifts from Milwaukee's defense to score a pair of runs before the game was called. Jake McCarthy led off the first with a seven-pitch walk before advancing to third on a passed ball and a stolen base. He scored on Josh Rojas' sacrifice fly to center. Rojas would later add a single that went between the legs of left-handed reliever Hoby Milner in the third. 

In the second, Phillip Evans led off with a single before advancing to third on a comebacker plus throwing error by Brewers pitcher Gus Varland. Yairo Muñoz plated Evans on a sharp ground ball to third with the trail runner on the move.