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Corbin Martin

Orioles Re-Sign Corbin Martin To Major League Deal

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The Orioles announced that they have re-signed right-hander Corbin Martin to a major league deal. The O’s already had vacancies on their 40-man and active rosters, so no corresponding moves were necessary.

Martin was on the Baltimore roster as of a few days ago. On Sunday, he was designated for assignment to open an active roster roster spot for left-hander Grant Wolfram. Later that same day, just before gametime, Scott Blewett hit the IL with right elbow discomfort. Catcher David Bañuelos was recalled to take Blewett’s spot on the roster, presumably because he was with the club in a taxi squad capacity. Bañuelos was outrighted to Triple-A during the All-Star break. Martin cleared waivers and elected free agency but has quickly been re-signed, effectively taking the bullpen spot of Blewett.

Though he spent over a week on Baltimore’s roster, he only got to make one appearance. He tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings back on July 2nd but then wasn’t used between that game and his DFA. Since he’s out of options, his grip on a roster spot is likely tenuous. However, the Orioles might sell some bullpen pieces prior to the deadline, with Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto and Andrew Kittredge seeming like good candidates to be on the move. A trade of Félix Bautista is less likely but the O’s are at least listening to offers.

For now, he gets a major league job and will try to build on his season. Prior to getting called up at the start of July, he had tossed 32 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 5.29 earned run average. That probably disguises his performance a bit as his .306 batting average on balls in play, 68.4% strand rate and 17.9% home run to fly ball rate were all a bit to the unfortunate side. Meanwhile, he struck out 23% of batters faced with a 10.4% walk rate and 44.9% ground ball rate.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s bumped off the roster again in the next few days but a greater path to innings could open up if the O’s pull the trigger on some trades. Perhaps he could hang on the roster into August or re-sign another time if he is bumped off again.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Corbin Martin Elects Free Agency

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The Orioles announced Thursday that right-hander Corbin Martin, whom they designated for assignment this past Sunday, has cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He’s now a free agent.

The 29-year-old Martin appeared in one game for the O’s — his first time on a big league mound since the 2022 season with the D-backs. The former second-round pick was one of four players traded by the Astros to Arizona in 2019’s Zack Greinke trade. Martin was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the time of that trade and was ultimately unable to establish himself with the Diamondbacks. He’s pitched 57 2/3 innings in the big leagues to this point in his career (including his quick look with the O’s) and carries a 6.56 ERA, a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 13.4% walk rate.

The Orioles claimed Martin off waivers from the Brewers last June. He’s pitched 32 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA in Triple-A Norfolk this year. That includes a strong run from May 30 to the time of his call to the majors, during which he rattled off 12 innings of one-run ball with an 11-to-4 K/BB ratio. Overall, Martin has set down 23% of his opponents on strikes against a 10.4% walk rate. In parts of five Triple-A seasons, Martin has a 5.18 ERA, 23.1% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate in a total of 217 1/3 innings.

Orioles Designate Corbin Martin For Assignment

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The Orioles announced this morning that they have recalled left-hander Grant Wolfram to the major league roster. Right-hander Corbin Martin was designated for assignment to make room for Wolfram on the club’s active roster. Baltimore’s 40-man roster now stands at 39 players.

Martin, 29, was a second-round pick by the Astros back in 2017 and received some attention as a top-100 prospect prior to the 2019 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the first half that year, and early in his recovery found himself traded to the Diamondbacks on the day of the trade deadline as part of the Zack Greinke blockbuster alongside Josh Rojas, Seth Beer, and JB Bukauskas. Martin didn’t return to a mound until 2021, and once he did so the results left much to be desired. He surrendered a 10.69 ERA in 16 innings of work during his first season with the Diamondbacks at the big league level, and while he showed some signs of improvement during his age-26 season in 2022 he suffered a number of additional injuries.

That includes a lat tear in his shoulder that required surgery and cost him his 2023 campaign. Martin was ultimately designated for assignment by the Snakes in early 2024, and after a brief stint in the Brewers’ minor league system last year he found himself claimed off waivers by the Orioles last May. He pitched at Triple-A for Baltimore’s Norfolk affiliate last year and was eventually removed from the 40-man roster, but remained with the organization and was brought back up to the majors earlier this month. This latest stint in the majors proved to be a brief one, as he remained on the roster for less than two weeks and made just one appearance. The appearance was an impressive one, however, as he struck out two and allowed just one hit in 1 1/3 innings of work against the Rangers.

Going forward, the Orioles will have one week to either work out a trade involving Martin or attempt to pass him through waivers. Should he clear waivers successfully, he would have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues or elect free agency in search of a better opportunity elsewhere. It wouldn’t be a shock to see some team take a chance on him now that he’s healthy, though his 5.29 ERA at Triple-A this year still raises some questions about his effectiveness even after his strong return to the majors earlier this month. As for Wolfram, the rookie made his big league debut with the Orioles earlier this year and has a 31.3% strikeout rate in three appearances at the big league level so far this season. With Keegan Akin on the injured list, Wolfram’s return to the bullpen should take some pressure off of fellow lefty Gregory Soto going forward.

Orioles Designate Matt Bowman For Assignment, Select Corbin Martin

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The Orioles announced today that they have recalled right-hander Yennier Cano and selected the contract of right-hander Corbin Martin. In corresponding moves, they have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment and placed left-hander Keegan Akin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 1st, due to left shoulder inflammation.

Martin, 29, was a top-100 prospect with the Astros and D-backs several years ago. He was one of four players who went from Houston to Arizona in the 2019 Zack Greinke trade, but while he saw MLB time with both the ’Stros and Snakes, he’s never really found his footing. Martin, who was on the mend from Tommy John surgery when he was included in that trade, has pitched 57 2/3 innings in the majors and recorded only a 6.71 ERA. He’s fanned 19% of his opponents against a 13.6% walk rate and been far too susceptible to home runs, yielding an average of 2.50 big flies per nine frames.

The Orioles claimed Martin off waivers from the Brewers last June. (Milwaukee had claimed him from Arizona a couple months earlier.) He was eventually removed from the 40-man roster but now returns after pitching 32 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA in Triple-A Norfolk this year. He’s set down 23% of his opponents on strikes against a 10.4% walk rate. It’s not a great set of season-long numbers, but Martin has been doing his best work of late. Dating back to May 30, he’s pitched a dozen innings and held opponents to just one run on three hits and four walks with 11 punchouts. If he gets into a game, it’ll be his first time on a major league mound since 2022.

Bowman, 34, has now been designated for assignment by the Orioles three times since Opening Day. He’s accepted a pair of outright assignments to Norfolk previously. The right-hander has appeared in 19 games for Baltimore this season but pitched to a middling 5.79 earned run average. In 23 1/3 innings, he’s fanned only 15.7% of his opponents. Bowman’s 5.6% walk rate is excellent, but he’s also plunked a pair of batters and served up four home runs (1.54 HR/9).

In parts of seven big league seasons, Bowman has pitched for seven different teams — including four in 2024 alone. He’s compiled 239 1/3 innings in the majors and recorded a collective 4.32 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The O’s will trade him or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. If his prior DFAs this year are any indication, there’s a good chance Bowman will clear waivers and agree to head back to Norfolk while he awaits another call to Camden Yards.

Cano was only optioned to Norfolk last week, but he can return in under the 10-day minimum stint for an optional assignment because he’s replacing the injured Akin. The 30-year-old Akin has been an important part of the Orioles’ bullpen this season, pitching 38 innings of 3.32 ERA ball with a 23.3% strikeout rate and an uncharacteristically high 11% walk rate. Entering the season, Akin had just a 7.4% walk rate in more than 300 MLB frames.

Akin has cut back on the free passes lately — none in his past 4 2/3 innings — but Akin was roughed up for three runs (two earned) in an inning of work his last time out. There was no velocity drop or major signal that the left-hander’s shoulder was giving him trouble, but today’s IL placement means he’ll sit through at least the All-Star break as he mends.

Orioles Claim Corbin Martin, Recall Kyle Stowers

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1:23pm: Baltimore will option top outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad to Norfolk to make room for Stowers, tweets Ghiroli.

12:50pm: The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Corbin Martin off waivers from the Brewers. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore’s 40-man roster had an open spot and is now at capacity. It seems as though this will be just one of multiple moves for Baltimore today, as Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic also reports that the O’s are calling up outfielder Kyle Stowers from Norfolk. The team has yet to announce that move or any corresponding transactions.

Martin, 28, was a second-round pick of the Astros in 2017 who went from Houston to Arizona as one of the headline pieces in 2019’s Zack Greinke blockbuster. His career trajectory has been impacted by injuries — Tommy John surgery most notably. Martin pitched in the big leagues in 2019, 2021 and 2022 but has just 57 2/3 MLB frames under his belt. He’s limped to a 6.71 earned run average in that time, fanning a well below-average 19% of his opponents against a weighty 13.6% walk rate.

Entering that 2019 season in which he was traded, Martin ranked 78th and 81st on the respective top-100 prospect lists published by Baseball America and MLB.com. He was touted as a high-probability mid-rotation arm, having just wrapped up a season that saw him toss 122 innings of 2.51 ERA ball with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate between High-A and Double-A. He underwent Tommy John surgery in early July and was included in the aforementioned Greinke trade just weeks later — a deal that was completed and filed just seconds before the deadline. Martin missed the entire 2020 season as a result and hasn’t looked the same in any of his post-surgery seasons.

In parts of three seasons since that ligament reconstruction, Martin has pitched to an ERA north of 6.00 in Triple-A. Hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League caveat notwithstanding, that type of performance simply doesn’t measure up to his prior promise. He was tagged for 21 runs in 16 big league innings with Arizona in 2021, posted a 6.08 ERA in 77 frames with the D-backs in 2022, and missed the entire 2023 season after suffering a torn tendon in his latissimus dorsi during spring training.

More concerning than the poor ERA marks was the evaporation of Martin’s command post-elbow surgery. The 7.3% walk rate he posted in 2018 feels like a distant memory. Martin issued a free pass to 11.4% of his opponents in 2021-22 (MLB and Triple-A combined). He walked a massive 13 of 50 opponents thus far in 2024 (26%).

All of those struggles aside, it’s not entirely surprising to see the Orioles claim Martin. Baltimore general manager Mike Elias was the Astros’ scouting director in 2017 when they selected Martin with the 56th overall pick in the draft and paid him a $1MM signing bonus. Elias is keenly familiar with Martin — both as the pitcher he was shaping up to be prior to his injuries and as a person.

As for Stowers, he’ll return to the big leagues for a third straight season. He hit fairly well in a small sample of 98 plate appearances in 2022 before floundering through a 2-for-30 stretch at the plate in the majors last season. The lefty-swinging 26-year-old is out to a .240/.315/.541 start in Norfolk this season and has already socked 11 home runs in 165 trips to the plate.

Contact remains something of an issue, as Stowers is still punching out in just shy of 27% of his plate appearances against a 7.9% walk rate. Nonetheless, he’ll add some left-handed pop to Baltimore’s outfield mix for the time being. Stowers has spent the bulk of his pro career in right field but has experience in all three spots and has spent more time in center this year (115 innings) than either right field (89) or left field (54).

Brewers Acquire Mitch White From Giants

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The Giants have traded right-hander Mitch White, who they designated for assignment earlier this week, to the Brewers for cash considerations. Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com relayed the information on X. Right-hander Corbin Martin was designated for assignment to open a roster spot for White, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on X.

White, 29, was acquired by the Giants from the Blue Jays a few weeks ago in a cash deal. He tossed 5 1/3 innings for San Francisco but allowed seven earned runs in that time. He had also allowed six earned runs in ten innings for the Jays earlier in the year, so he currently has a combined 7.63 earned run average on the year.

He is out of options and can’t be easily sent down to the minors, which is why he has been designated for assignment twice already this year. But despite the rough start to his season, there are reasons for the Brewers to be interested.

He was once a notable prospect with the Dodgers, with Baseball America ranking him one of their 20 best prospects in five straight years starting in 2017. He pitched 105 2/3 innings for the Dodgers from 2020 to 2022 with a 3.58 ERA, 22% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.

But he hit a rough patch after being traded to the Jays in 2022. He had a 7.74 ERA in 43 innings for Toronto late that year. He wasn’t helped by a .368 batting average on balls in play or 54.3% strand rate, as his 3.76 FIP and 4.70 SIERA were far nicer in that time, but he still went into last year out of options and battling for a role.

He spent time on the injured list in 2023 and then posted poor results out of the bullpen for the Jays in 2023, getting outrighted off the roster. But once in Triple-A, he was stretched back out and finished the year strong. His last seven starts resulted in a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, striking out 31.4% of batters faced.

The Jays added him back to their roster to keep him from reaching minor league free agency but, as mentioned, his results haven’t been great here in 2024. Still, there’s enough there for the Brewers to take a chance.

Perhaps he will take over a long relief role in the bullpen, as injuries have pushed Bryse Wilson from that job and into the rotation. White still has less than three years of service time and can be cheaply retained into the future if he keeps justifying his roster spot, though it’s also possible he could be designated for assignment for a third time this year.

Martin, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks last month. Both clubs kept him in the minors and he has a 7.20 ERA in ten innings between their two Triple-A clubs this year. He has ten strikeouts but 13 walks on the year.

The Brewers will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Injuries have been a significant problem for Martin. He missed most of 2019 and all of 2020 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Then he required lat tendon surgery last year which prevented him from pitching at all in 2023. Though he was healthy enough to pitch in 2021 and 2022, the results weren’t great, with a 7.28 ERA in the majors and a 6.04 ERA in the minors.

He was once a notable prospect in the Astros’ system, going to Arizona in the Zack Greinke trade. He still can be optioned for the rest of this year and could perhaps attract the interest of another club who felt he could get back on track after shaking off some rust.

Brewers Claim Corbin Martin

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The Brewers have claimed right-hander Corbin Martin off waivers from the Diamondbacks, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hogg adds that right-hander Kevin Herget was designated for assignment to make room for Martin on the club’s 40-man roster. The Brewers subsequently optioned Martin to Triple-A.

Martin, 28, was a second-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft and, after dominating the Double-A level of the minors in his first full pro season, garnered plenty of top-100 prospect buzz prior to the 2019 season, even making his big league debut early in the season. Martin’s rise was thrown off course by him undergoing Tommy John surgery midway through the 2019 campaign, but that didn’t stop Houston from packaging him alongside Seth Beer, JB Bukauskas, and Josh Rojas to acquire future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline that summer.

The right-hander’s career began to come off the rails once he arrived in Arizona, however. Martin missed the entire 2020 season while rehabbing from surgery and didn’t make his organizational debut with Arizona until May of that year. He struggled through 43 1/3 innings of work split between the major league level and Triple-A that year, posting a whopping 10.69 ERA in five big league appearances along with a 5.93 ERA in 27 1/3 frames with the club’s affiliate in Reno. Martin’s struggles continued in 2022 as Martin pitched to a 4.84 ERA and 4.59 FIP in seven appearances for the big league club. The righty spent the majority of the season in the minors before once again being shut down due to injury in August of that year.

That proved to be the last time Martin would pitch in the majors for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander missed the entire 2023 campaign after suffering a lat tendon tear in his right shoulder that ended up requiring surgery. He returned to action with the beginning of the 2024 season, but allowed a 9.00 ERA in three innings of work before being designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks last week.

Now with the Brewers, Martin will be reunited with Bukauskas as a potential bullpen option in Milwaukee, though the right-hander will begin his tenure with the club in the minor leagues. Given Martin’s previous prospect pedigree and impressive results when healthier earlier in his career, the Brewers are no doubt hoping they can tap into some of that potential Martin has flashed throughout his career now that he’s fully healthy. If he does enough to earn himself an opportunity in the majors, he’ll enter the club’s middle relief mix alongside the likes of Bryse Wilson and Thyago Vieira.

Making room for Martin on the Brewers’ 40-man roster is Herget, who was selected to the club’s roster earlier this week after signing with Milwaukee on a minor league deal last month. The 33-year-old ultimately did not make an appearance with the Brewers at the big league level, though he had posted 5 1/3 scoreless innings of work in Triple-A. After being drafted by the Cardinals in the 39th round of the 2013 draft, Herget bounced around the minor leagues before eventually making his big league debut with the Rays in 2022. He’s made brief cameos in the majors in each of the past two seasons with Tampa and Cincinnati, pitching to a combined 5.74 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 31 1/3 innings of work. The Brewers will now have one week to waive, trade, or release Herget.

Diamondbacks Designate Corbin Martin For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced this morning that they’ve designated right-hander Corbin Martin for assignment. Martin’s spot on the club’s 40-man roster will go to infielder Kevin Newman, whose contract has been selected to replace injured shortstop Geraldo Perdomo on the active roster as was reported earlier this morning.

Martin, 28, was a second-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft and is perhaps best known as one of the prospects Arizona acquired in the Zack Greinke trade at the 2019 trade deadline alongside first baseman Seth Beer, right-hander JB Bukauskas, and infielder Josh Rojas. What appeared at the time to be a strong return for the ace righty’s services proved to be underwhelming over time, as only Rojas made an impact for the Diamondbacks at the big league level. Now all four players acquired in the Greinke deal will no longer be a part of the Dbacks organization, unless Martin clears waivers and is assigned outright to the minor leagues.

The right-hander’s time with Arizona was fraught with injuries and ineffectiveness. Martin underwent Tommy John surgery shortly before being acquired by the Diamondbacks and as a result did not make his team debut until 2021, when he struggled to a 10.69 ERA (8.42 FIP) in 16 innings of work with the big league club. Those struggles were paired with additional injuries, as Martin spent the entire second half of 2021 on the injured list in the minor leagues. 2022 was more of the same as Martin pitched to a below-average 4.84 ERA and 4.59 FIP in seven appearances for the big league club and spent the majority of the season in the minors before once again being shut down due to injury in August of that year.

Martin’s struggles in a starting role and numerous injuries led the Diamondbacks to move him to the bullpen full time during Spring Training last year in an effort to keep the right-hander healthy, but those hopes were dashed just a month later when Martin suffered a lat tendon in his right shoulder that required surgery. Martin went on to miss the entire 2023 season. He’s made just two appearances at Triple-A Reno so far in 2024 and has allowed three runs on three walks and three hits (including a home run) in three innings of work while striking out three.

Moving forward, the Diamondbacks will have one week to waive, trade, or release Martin. It’s possible the right-hander’s previous prospect pedigree could earn him the interest of another club as a potential reclamation project, though his lengthy injury history and general ineffectiveness in the majors may keep rival clubs from dedicating a roster spot to the former top-100 talent. If Martin passes through waivers unclaimed, Arizona will have the opportunity to retain him in the organization as non-roster depth going forward. As for the club, the Dbacks still have the likes of Justin Martinez and Andrew Saalfrank available as depth options on the 40-man roster behind their current bullpen mix while Paul Sewald recovers from an oblique strain.

Diamondbacks Acquire Anthony Misiewicz

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The Diamondbacks have acquired left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from the Cardinals, per announcements from both clubs. The D’Backs will send cash considerations to St. Louis in exchange. To open a spot on their roster, Arizona transferred right-hander Corbin Martin to the 60-day injured list.

Misiewicz, 28, has pitched in the past three big league seasons, mostly with the Mariners but also with the Royals. In 103 2/3 innings, he has a career 4.43 ERA, striking out 23.9% of batters faced, walking 7% and getting grounders at a 38.6% clip. The Royals designated him for assignment when they re-signed Zack Greinke in February, then flipped Misiewicz across Missouri for cash.

The southpaw had a decent spring, allowing two earned runs in seven innings, striking out eight batters against one walk. However, he got squeezed off the roster by a couple of factors. One is that prospect Jordan Walker’s meteoric rise led to him needing an Opening Day roster spot. Second, the Cards had a bunch of lefty relief options on the roster in Zack Thompson, Packy Naughton, Génesis Cabrera and JoJo Romero. When the time came to add Walker to the roster, it seems Misiewicz was considered the most expendable and was designated for assignment earlier this week.

He’ll now head to the Diamondbacks, though he may not be ticketed for the active roster since he still has a couple of options. The club currently has Andrew Chafin and Kyle Nelson as their left-handed relief options in the big leagues. Misiewicz could make it three but they could also send him to Triple-A to serve as depth until needed. Misiewicz has between two and three years of MLB service time and can be controlled via arbitration through the 2026 season, though optional assignments could push that back.

In order to open up a spot for Misiewicz, Martin has been moved to the 60-day IL. That move doesn’t come as a surprise since he recently underwent lat tendon surgery and will likely miss the entire 2023 season.

Diamondbacks’ Corbin Martin To Undergo Lat Tendon Surgery, Likely To Miss 2023 Season

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TODAY: Martin has chosen to undergo surgery to repair his lat tendon, Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and other reporters.  It is “doubtful” that Martin will be able to return before the end of the 2023 season, Lovullo said.

MARCH 18: Corbin Martin left Wednesday’s game due to injury, as the Diamondbacks right-hander was brought to his knees in obvious pain after throwing a pitch.  Martin has been diagnosed with a tear in the lat tendon under his right shoulder, and though manager Torey Lovullo said that Martin is exploring a second opinion on the injury, “we’re talking months instead of weeks” before the righty can return to action.

“We’re going to get that second opinion but no matter what, we feel like it’s going to be a long road to recovery and he’ll get back out there as soon as possible,” Lovullo said during an appearance on the Burns & Gambo radio show.

Even if Martin is able to avoid a surgery, the lat tear represents another tough setback for the 27-year-old.  Martin missed most of the 2019 season and all of the 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and an oblique strain prevented him from even a cameo appearance near the end of the abbreviated 2020 campaign.  Martin has hit the injured list in each of the last two seasons while also being shuttled back and forth between Arizona’s roster and Triple-A Reno.

With only a 6.71 ERA to show for 57 2/3 career innings in the majors, Martin has yet to really get on track as a big leaguer.  The Astros took Martin in the second round of the 2017 draft and the righty even drew some top-100 prospect attention prior to the 2019 season.  His stock was high enough that even after the Tommy John surgery, Martin was still sought after by the D’Backs as part of the four-player package for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline.  This spring, the D’Backs were using Martin in a new bullpen role in an attempt to help keep him healthy.

Between Martin’s lat tear and Mark Melancon’s shoulder strain, Arizona is suddenly facing two long-term injury absences and two holes to fill in the bullpen.  The Diamondbacks have a long list of experienced relievers in camp on minor league contracts, and of that group, Jeurys Familia look to be the favorite to win a job on the Opening Day roster.  Familia has looked sharp in posting a 1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 innings in Cactus League play, and he would receive a guaranteed $1.5MM salary if he did crack the D’Backs roster at any point during the season.

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