The Boston Red Sox added to their organization's depth on Saturday and thrusted him into action immediately.
Just one day after signing with the Red Sox, longtime St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martínez started for the Triple-A Worcester.
Martínez's first impression was not what he hoped for, as he failed to get out of the first inning, recording two outs while allowing five earned runs, four hits and two walks on 33 pitches.
Martínez, 30, is a career 3.74 ERA pitcher with nearly equal experience as a starter (139 games) and reliever (135 games). He has thrived in both roles, but has stacked together two tough years in a row. In fairness, one of which was the shortened season in 2020.
The two-time All-Star is looking to rebound with the Red Sox, still in the midst of his prime. Like spring training, Martínez's results should not be heavily evaluated early on.
That said, fans would like to see a little more promise considering the setbacks of Chris Sale and James Paxton leaving the Red Sox pitching staff with little hope for reinforcements in the near future.
If Martínez can find his 2014-2019 groove, he could become a hidden gem that would boost the Red Sox staff considerably.
