The Diamondbacks are set to get two important pieces back at once, with closer Justin Martinez and outfielder Jordan Lawlar both reinstated from the injured list, according to John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports.
Arizona made room by optioning first baseman Tyler Locklear and right-hander Gerardo Carrillo to Triple-A Reno. Because Martinez was on the 60-day IL, the club will also need to clear a 40-man roster spot once the moves become official.
Martinez’s return is the bigger bullpen jolt. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since Tommy John surgery in mid-June last year, an injury that came just a few months into the five-year, $18MM extension he signed last spring. That deal also includes a pair of club options for Arizona.
Before the injury, Martinez had already established himself as one of the more electric young relievers in the sport. In 2024, he threw 72 2/3 innings with a 2.48 ERA, a 29.5% strikeout rate, an 11.7% walk rate and a huge 58.9% ground-ball rate.
He also saved eight games and notched seven holds. In 2025, before getting hurt, he added five saves and four holds in just 15 1/3 innings.
Across 88 innings dating back to 2024, he owns a 2.76 ERA, a 30% strikeout rate and a 58% ground-ball rate.
For a relief group sitting in the middle of the pack, that kind of arm matters. Diamondbacks relievers rank 16th in the majors with a 4.11 ERA. They’ve also posted the seventh-lowest strikeout rate in MLB at 20.4%, though their 8.1% walk rate is the second-best mark in the league.
The saves picture has changed, too. Paul Sewald, who had led the club with 24 saves, was recently designated for assignment and has since been claimed by the Blue Jays.
Left-hander Brandyn Garcia is next on the team with four saves, and no other Arizona reliever has more than one. Martinez may be brought along carefully at first, but if he’s healthy, he looks like the clear favorite to handle the ninth inning the rest of the way.
His rehab work backed that up: four shutout innings and a four-seamer averaging 101.4 mph, with his sinker at 101.3 mph.
Lawlar’s return gives the lineup another intriguing option. The 24-year-old former No. 6 overall pick seemed to be turning a corner early this season after moving from the infield to the outfield.
He followed a strong spring training with a hot start, only to be knocked out by a broken wrist that kept him out for more than two months. When he came back, a hamstring strain arrived about a week later and cost him nearly two more months.
When he has been on the field this year, Lawlar has hit .316/.409/.447. His spring numbers were strong, too, at .333/.448/.604 in 59 plate appearances.
He’s also been productive at Triple-A, and while his 108 MLB plate appearances across 2024-25 were uneven, the sample is too small to draw much from. Lawlar has long looked like a bat that could take off once the defensive fit settled, and that appears to be happening in the outfield.
With veteran Max Kepler and out-of-options fourth outfielder Jorge Barrosa struggling, there should be opportunities for Lawlar to play down the stretch.
In Other News...
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The timing made the situation especially jarring for a club trying to keep its focus on the field. Marte had been expected to be available against Boston, and Arizona had to pivot quickly to cover the infield without him. For now, the Diamondbacks are left managing the baseball side of the issue while the bigger question around Marte hangs over the team. [Read more 🡒]
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Hoffmann, who came over from the Royals more than a year ago, had already been on the minor league injured list when Arizona made the move, and his major league stint never really got off the ground. Because he is still injured and the trade deadline has already passed, the next step is more complicated than a normal outright assignment, leaving his status in a different kind of limbo as the Diamondbacks clear space and sort out the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Hit An Infield Scare At The Worst Possible Time
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Arenados exit only adds to the kind of moving pieces the club has had to manage around the roster, and the timing is far from ideal. The Diamondbacks also made a transaction, selecting Dennis Santana and designating Philip Abner for assignment, a reminder that the bench and bullpen are getting adjusted even as the lineup takes on more uncertainty. For a team trying to hold together its everyday core, the next update on Arenado may end up mattering a lot more than the final score did. [Read more 🡒]