Justin Martinez's Return Was Bright Spot in Dark Day for Diamondbacks

It has been a dark 24-plus-hour news cycle for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sometimes, a little fire can help light the way forward.

The Diamondbacks were beaten down by the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, in the midst of a concerning, eyebrow-raising situation involving the unexcused absence of Ketel Marte. A game in which they could have used a victory turned into another sour result.

But flamethrowing reliever Justin Martinez still allowed a smile to creep across his face as he stood at his locker. "Finally" was the first word he uttered, before the reporters present could even finish their first question.

It had been 435 days since Martinez last threw off a major league mound. 435 days since he challenged big-league batters with his 100-plus-MPH fastball. His eighth-inning zero represented the only run-free inning pitched by a Diamondbacks reliever Tuesday night.

"It feels like the first time I debuted," he said to D-backs.TV's Jody Jackson. "I feel, not nervous, but a little excited, and that was it. I had a lot of emotion, but when I get out there, everything goes away."

Justin Martinez throws scoreless inning in return debut

Jun 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Justin Martinez (63) celebrates after a victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Martinez's inning was not the cleanest. He walked Willson Contreras on four pitches and hit Caleb Durbin with an errant splitter on a 1-2 count. But Martinez picked up a groundout and a weak liner to second base, walking off the mound without further damage.

The locations were a bit spotty. That is understandable, considering his lengthy rehab process from Tommy john surgery. He landed 15 of his 26 pitches for strikes, but averaged nearly 101 MPH on his four-seam and sinker, 89.3 on his splitter and 92.6 on his slider.

He said he did not feel as if his command was off, but that his delivery isn't quite where he wants it to be, yet.

"I think it was coming out good," said Martinez. "Got to work on my delivery and move on. ... my delivery feels a little weird right now — something that I need to work on, but I'll be all right."

As excited as Martinez was on the flight to Boston, knowing he would likely make his official return in this series, he said he did not feel those emotions during his pre-inning warmup.

"I was surprised. I thought I would be a little nervous or something, but I was good. It feels normal," he said.

"I would say it could be better, it could be worse. Thank god I got out of there with not a lot of damage, but like I said, I need to keep working on my command, my delivery, and keep doing what I've been doing."

Justin Martinez's return adds weapon to Diamondbacks' bullpen

Jun 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Justin Martinez (63) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It might be a while before Martinez is thrust into high-leverage situations. An arm who was once closing games and delivering in high-intensity moments is still in the ramp-up process to a degree. He will not likely pitch back-to-back right now, and may not have a save opportunity for a while.

But with the improved, depth-filled nature of Arizona's 2026 bullpen, that is not a detriment for the moment. Martinez will have the luxury of easing back into such a role.

Manager Torey Lovullo called Martinez "another dependable piece" of said bullpen.

"We feel like we have a lot of really good back-end pieces that we can shuffle around. ... We have five or six guys right now that we believe in on the back end, and a couple are emerging, so we like the bullpen."

But Lovullo, more than anything, simply enjoyed seeing the 25-year-old fireballer back on the mound.

"It was great. And I congratulated him and just said thank you for working so hard to be back here," Lovullo said.

"He had a nice smile on his face as he walked in and settled in a little bit. But he was competing, and that's the most important thing. I saw the familiar face out there, that delivery and that stuff. It was fun to watch."

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