D-backs To Activate Justin Martinez, Jordan Lawlar

The Diamondbacks have reinstated closer Justin Martinez and outfielder Jordan Lawlar from the injured list, per John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports. First baseman Tyler Locklear and righty Gerardo Carrillo were optioned to Triple-A Reno in a pair of corresponding moves. Martinez was on the 60-day IL, so the Snakes will need to open a 40-man roster spot for him once these moves are officially announced.

Martinez, 25, has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-June last year. That injury happened only a few months into the five-year, $18MM contract extension Martinez had signed last spring. The deal gives Arizona a pair of club options over the flamethrowing young reliever as well.

Prior to injury, Martinez had cemented himself as one of the game’s more impressive young relievers. He pitched 72 2/3 innings in 2024 and delivered a 2.48 ERA with a 29.5% strikeout rate, 11.7% walk rate and massive 58.9% ground-ball rate. The 6’3″, 225-pound righty saved eight games and picked up seven holds in ’24 before collecting five saves and four holds in just 15 1/3 innings during the 2025 season. He’s posted a 2.76 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 58% ground-ball rate in 88 innings dating back to 2024.

It’s a notable boost for a middle-of-the-pack relief unit that currently ranks 16th in the majors with a 4.11 earned run average. D-backs relievers have the seventh-lowest strikeout rate in MLB (20.4%) but also the second-best walk rate (8.1%).

Paul Sewald, whom the D-backs recently designated for assignment, is the team leader with 24 saves but is no longer on the roster. The Jays claimed him last week. Lefty Brandyn Garcia is second on the club with four saves. No other reliever has more than one. The Diamondbacks might try to ease Martinez back into the mix, but as long as he’s healthy, he ought to be the ninth-inning favorite for the rest of the season. He certainly looked healthy on his rehab stint, firing four shutout innings and averaging an obscene 101.4 mph on his four-seamer (and 101.3 mph on his sinker).

Lawlar, 24, looked to finally be delivering on his longstanding prospect hype early in the season. The former No. 6 overall pick moved to the outfield, had a huge spring training and got out to a brilliant start after moving from the infield to the outfield this year. However, a broken wrist sidelined him for more than two months early this season, and when he returned, he suffered a hamstring strain only a week later. That injury has since cost him nearly two additional months.

When healthy this year, Lawlar hit .316/.409/.447. It’s a tiny sample, but he also raked to the tune of a .333/.448/.604 line in 59 spring plate appearances. Lawlar has consistently torched Triple-A pitching as well. He struggled in 108 scattershot MLB plate appearances from 2024-25, but it’s hard to glean much from such a small sample. Skeptics can say the same applies to this year’s early production and spring training surge, but Lawlar is a career .322/.406/.567 hitter in 96 Triple-A games whose bat has always looked likely to break out once the team settles on a defensive home for him. That’s seemingly happened in the outfield this year. Given the struggles from veteran Max Kepler and out-of-options fourth outfielder Jorge Barrosa, there should be plenty of at-bats available for Lawlar down the stretch.