Chris Martin has been an effective relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers since they acquired him prior to the trade deadline, but he was unavailable in the series opener against the Miami Marlins.
Martin has been battling an elbow issue that required him to undergo an MRI. He last appeared on Tuesday and prior to that, he pitched in back-to-back games Aug. 19 and 20.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed hope Martin would be able to avoid a stint on the injured list, and things seem to be trending in that direction. Martin’s MRI came back clean and he was playing catch at loanDepot Park, which gives them hope that he’ll just need a few days off, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
Chris Martin is playing catch right now. He expressed confidence earlier he’ll avoid an IL stint — MRIs came back clean, just needed to be down a couple days.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 27, 2022
The 36-year-old has pitched in both high-leverage and middle relief opportunities for the Dodgers in his 10 appearances with the club. In his 9.2 innings, he has given up just four hits, including a home run, while posting a 1.86 ERA, 0.41 WHIP and 11.17 strikeouts per nine with no walks.
Without Martin, the Dodgers relied on Phil Bickford and David Price to pitch in high-leverage roles, but both relievers gave up the lead they were called onto hold.
Roberts was also hoping to avoid using Caleb Ferguson and Brusdar Graterol, although Graterol ended up pitching the final three outs of their extra innings victory.
Clayton Kershaw may return to Dodgers against Mets
Clayton Kershaw has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 5 due to lower back pain, but he may soon be returning to the Dodgers rotation.
Kershaw threw what was expected to be his final simulated game on Saturday in Miami, going four innings. Roberts previously said Kershaw would not need a rehab assignment prior to re-joining the club.
With his final sim game now in the books, the soonest Kershaw could return to the team is on Sept. 1 against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Roberts said.
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