In the upcoming season, the Boston Red Sox will surely depend on their relief pitchers once more.
For Boston, setup man Chris Martin had a spectacular season pitching 51 1/3 innings in relief in 2023 with a 1.05 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and 8 walks.
As the majority of the Red Sox squad prepares for a weekend-long exhibition series against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Dominican Republic, Martin remained in Fort Myers to intensify his spring training.
Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports that Martin walked off the mound following his two pitches during live batting practice at JetBlue Park.
While in the Dominican Republic, Red Sox manager Alex Cora talked about the reliever’s possible injury, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports.
Merely a groin. Just more taking care of himself because it’s a little tight,” Cora remarked, according to Cotillo. Nothing concerning his arm. We’ll take it from there after we see how he feels in the next days.
Martin hasn’t pitched in a Grapefruit League game during spring training, according to Cotillo, and Cora has given him the freedom to work on his ramp up at his own speed.
Following his final spring training start on February 26, starter Lucas Giolito experienced elbow soreness and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. This is the reason for Martin’s cautious setback.