Padres News: RHP Nick Martinez Will Now Miss Part of Spring Training with Friars
Last week, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced that he won't be able to take part in the World Baseball Classic like he'd been planning. That news ends up having an impact on the Padres, as San Diego pitcher Nick Martinez has been added to the Team USA roster as Kershaw's replacement, as Kevin Acee and Jeff Sanders report in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Nick Martinez is back on the United States roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, MLB announced Sunday. He replaces Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who reportedly was unable to secure the necessary insurance due to past injuries.
Martinez, who is moving from a hybrid relief role to the starting rotation, pulled out of the tournament citing concerns it might affect his preparation for the season. It is not known when Martinez will join the U.S. team and whether he will be with the team the entire tournament.
As Acee and Sanders note, this is an important spring for Martinez. He made 10 starts in 2022, his first season with San Diego after four seasons in Japan, but he mostly pitched out of the bullpen. After leaving the rotation, he served in a long relief role for a few weeks, but by the end of the season he was mostly a traditional one-inning reliever.
For 2023, the plan is for Martinez to be in the Friars' starting rotation, which is why he had originally pulled out of the WBC. But his country needs him, so he'll answer the call, although the Union-Tribune's reporting suggests he might not spend as much time with Team USA as some of the other team members. It seems like they might take a hybrid approach, where Martinez will be in camp with the Padres as often as possible, only joining the WBC team when absolutely necessary.
Spring training is important this year for Martinez, who didn't throw more than 40 pitches in a game in the last three months of the 2022 season and needs to get built back up. This will be an important storyline to keep an
