Red Sox Select Seth Martinez

The Red Sox have selected right-hander Seth Martinez from Triple-A Worcester, the team announced. They optioned lefty Raymond Burgos to Worcester in a corresponding move. With the addition of Martinez, Boston now has a full 40-man roster.

The 31-year-old Martinez could now be in position to pitch in the majors for the sixth season in a row. He appeared in the bigs with the Astros in each year from 2021-24 and got into six games with the Marlins last season. Martinez, who averages around 90 mph on his fastball and mixes in a slider, sinker and changeup, owns a 4.00 ERA in 144 innings in the majors. He has logged strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 20.5%, 9.5% and 38.6%, respectively, along the way.

Martinez is not far removed from posting a a 3.59 ERA over a career-high 52 2/3 frames with the Astros in 2024, but he has barely pitched at the game’s highest level since then. The Marlins designated Martinez for assignment last September, and he landed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in January.

Martinez has thrown 60 innings with Worcester and put up solid walk and grounder rates (6.8%, 46.9%). However, while fanning just under 20% of hitters, he has managed an underwhelming 5.55 ERA. That’s a far cry from the 3.71 ERA he has notched in 203 2/3 career Triple-A frames, but the Red Sox could nonetheless give Martinez another shot to toe the rubber in the bigs. Because Martinez is out of options, he will have to pass through waivers if he does not stick on Boston’s roster.

After selecting Burgos’ contract on Friday, the Red Sox deployed him for back-to-back three-inning appearances. He held the Athletics scoreless in a 13-1 win Friday, but they scored two off him on a pair of solo home runs on Saturday in a 7-3 A’s win. With the Red Sox planning a bullpen game Sunday, they are swapping Burgos out for a fresher arm.