The Red Sox added another arm to the roster mix Sunday, selecting right-hander Seth Martinez from Triple-A Worcester and sending lefty Raymond Burgos back to Worcester in the corresponding move. The transaction leaves Boston with a full 40-man roster.
Martinez, 31, gives the Red Sox a pitcher who could be in line to appear in the majors for a sixth straight season. He worked in the big leagues with the Astros from 2021-24 and also logged six outings for the Marlins last season.
Over 144 major league innings, Martinez has a 4.00 ERA with strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 20.5%, 9.5% and 38.6%. His fastball sits around 90 mph, and he pairs it with a slider, sinker and changeup.
He isn’t far removed from one of the better stretches of his career. Martinez posted a 3.59 ERA over a career-high 52 2/3 innings for Houston in 2024, though he has seen limited action in the majors since then. The Marlins designated him for assignment last September, and he signed a minor league deal with Boston in January.
At Worcester, Martinez has worked 60 innings and shown decent control and ground-ball numbers, with a 6.8% walk rate and a 46.9% ground-ball rate. The strikeouts have been there too, just under 20% of hitters, but the run prevention has lagged, as reflected in his 5.55 ERA. That mark stands well below his 3.71 ERA in 203 2/3 career Triple-A innings.
Burgos’ stint with Boston was brief. After the Red Sox selected his contract Friday, he made back-to-back three-inning appearances.
He shut out the Athletics in Friday’s 13-1 win, then gave up two runs on solo homers in Saturday’s 7-3 loss to the A’s. With a bullpen game planned for Sunday, Boston opted for a fresher arm.
Martinez, because he is out of options, will need to clear waivers if he doesn’t remain on the roster.
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