Chris Martin Retires After Two Injury-Marred Seasons with Rangers

The veteran reliever leaves the game after pitching for seven different teams, including two separate stints with the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Chris Martin. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chris Martin is no longer an option for the Texas Rangers bullpen.

The 40-year-old right-hander from Arlington, Texas, is retiring, per FanSided’s Robert Murray. The Rangers and Martin made no formal announcement after Murray's report.

Martin pitched for seven different teams, including two different stretches with the Rangers. The last stretch was in 2025-26, and injuries limited his chance to contribute to the Rangers both seasons.

Chris Martin Retires

Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers signed Martin before the 2025 season and for the first half of the season he was a reliable part of the bullpen. A calf injury sidelined him and then he re-injured it. He finished the season with a 2-6 record and 2.98 ERA. He struck out 43 and walked eight in 42 innings.

Texas re-signed him in 2026 to a one-year deal. He made the opening-day roster but quickly ended up on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement that dogged him all season. He only pitched in 16 games, and he went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA with nine strikeouts and two walks.

Martin was a 21st round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2005 MLB draft out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. It took him nearly a decade to break into the Majors, making his debut with Colorado in 2014. He landed with the New York Yankees in 2015 but didn’t play in the Majors in 2016 or 2017 before resurfacing with his hometown team in 2018.

With Texas in 2018 he went 1-5 with a 4.54 ERA in 46 games, with 37 strikeouts and five walks in 41.2 innings. He returned to the Rangers in 2019 and went 0-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 38 games with 43 strikeouts and four walks in 38 innings. At the deadline that season the Rangers traded Martin to the Atlanta Braves for Kolby Allard.

He remained with Atlanta through the 2021 season and was part of the Braves’ World Series run his final season. He bounced around the next few seasons, including his 2023 season in Boston with resulted in him finishing 12th in American League Cy Young voting after he went 4-1 with a 1.05 ERA in 55 games with 46 strikeouts and eight walks in 51.1 innings.

In 11 seasons, Martin went 19-25 with a 3.53 ERA In 434 games with 16 saves in 403 innings. He struck out 409 and walked 55.