Right-hander Justin Martinez tossed a scoreless inning in an Arizona Complex League game on Saturday, May 17. His fastball registered in the upper-90s, a tick or two down from its usual range, but better than he was exhibiting before landing on the injured list earlier this month.
The club is trying to determine what will come next, but manager Torey Lovullo made it sound like the most likely outcome would be for Martinez to make another rehab appearance, likely with Triple-A Reno, on Tuesday, May 20.
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Martinez, who is on the IL with right shoulder inflammation, threw 10 pitches and retired all three batters he faced, striking out one, against the San Francisco Giants’ complex league team. Lovullo said Martinez threw 10 more pitches in the bullpen after his inning.
According to a rival scout, Martinez threw one fastball at 97 mph and the rest at 98-99 mph. That is not quite the Martinez of old — he averaged more than 100 mph with his heater last season — but is far more encouraging than the 95 mph he averaged on April 30, his final outing before landing on the IL.
Lovullo did not rule out the possibility of Martinez returning in time for next week’s Dodgers series, but he seemed to suggest the team was leaning toward one more minor league outing.
“He’s getting very close,” Lovullo said.
Rockies at Diamondbacks, 5:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (3-5, 4.59) vs. Rockies RHP German Marquez (1-6, 8.27).
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At Chase Field: Gallen is coming off a so-so appearance as far as the numbers go, with four runs and 10 hits allowed in 5 ⅔ innings of a loss to the Dodgers on May 11. But he had two very good starts prior to that, and will have a shot at another one against a struggling team in the Rockies. Gallen is 7-1 with a 2.59 earned run average in 15 career starts against Colorado, his best numbers against an NL West opponent. He also has 105 strikeouts to 24 walks against the Rockies. … Marquez’s best years with the Rockies appear to be behind him. He was a regular part of the starting rotation for six seasons until the 2023 season, when he had to have Tommy John surgery. Marquez made only five starts in 2023 and 2024 combined, and is off to a rough start in 2025. He is 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA in his career against the Diamondbacks.
Coming up
Sunday, May 18: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (4-2, 3.71) vs. Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-4, 6.88).
Monday, May 19: At Los Angeles, 7:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (6-3, 3.73) vs. Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (2-1, 5.89).
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Tuesday, May 20: At Los Angeles, 7:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-1, 5.13) vs. Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-3, 2.12).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks vs Rockies: Justin Martinez sharp in rehab game
