Martin signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Coming off a nice 2022 campaign that saw Martin record a 3.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 56 frames, the 36-year-old reliever will provide a nice boost to a Boston bullpen that turned in the fifth-worst ERA (4.59) in the league last season. Martin will more than likely be turned to often in high-leverage situations, so long as his age doesn't begin to catch up with him.
Martin recorded his second save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Craig Kimbrel and Evan Phillips had both worked two straight days coming into Tuesday, so Martin got the call in the matinee when the Dodgers took a late lead after a five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning. The veteran right-hander has been scored upon only once in his last 14 appearances dating back to Aug. 15, posting a 1.32 ERA, 0.44 WHIP and dazzling 20:0 K:BB through 13.2 innings over that stretch while picking up a win, a hold and both his saves. With Blake Treinen (shoulder) and Brusdar Graterol (elbow) both potentially set to return before the end of the regular season, Martin could get squeezed out of any more high-leverage work despite his impressive recent efforts.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: Picks up seventh hold
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Martin earned a hold against San Francisco on Tuesday, notching two strikeouts in one perfect inning.
After Tyler Anderson gave Los Angeles seven frames, Martin entered in the eighth inning as the bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel. Martin retired the side on 11 pitches, throwing nine strikes and registering a pair of punchouts. The right-hander has registered a 2.51 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 18:0 K:BB over 14.1 innings while notching three wins, a save and two holds since joining the Dodgers on July 30.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: Rescues Dodgers with save
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Martin earned a save with a scoreless outing against the Marlins on Monday. He struck out one batter in two-thirds of an inning.
The game went into an extra frame, and the Dodgers scored one run in the top of the 10th inning to take the lead. Craig Kimbrel -- who pitched a perfect ninth -- was brought back out for the bottom of the 10th, but he issued two walks to load the bases with one out. Martin was then summoned from the bullpen, and he struck out Garrett Cooper and then got Jacob Stallings to foul out to slam the door. Martin recently took a few days off due to arm issue, but he appears to be recovered since he pitched both Sunday and Monday.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: Moves past arm injury
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Martin (arm) struck out one and gave up one hit over a scoreless inning of relief Sunday in the Dodgers' 8-1 win over the Marlins.
Martin wasn't available for the start of the series in Miami on Friday on account of an arm issue, but he was cleared to resume working out of the bullpen when an MRI cleared him of any structural damage. Judging by the drama-free appearance Sunday, Martin looks like he'll remain a trusted option in the middle-to-late innings for the Dodgers. Since being acquired from the Cubs on July 30, Martin has generated a 1.69 ERA, 0.47 WHIP and 13:0 K:BB in 10.2 innings with the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: MRI comes back clean
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Martin recently underwent an MRI on his arm that came back clean, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Martin was unavailable Friday against the Marlins due to his arm issue, but the injury isn't believed to be particularly serious. The right-hander doesn't expect to require an IL stint, so he should be considered day-to-day.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: Unavailable due to arm issue
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Martin was unavailable for Friday's game against the Marlins due to an arm injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The exact nature of Martin's arm issue isn't yet clear, but manager Dave Roberts doesn't expect the right-hander to require a trip to the injured list. Martin will play catch Saturday to see how he feels, and he should be considered day-to-day.
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Dodgers' Chris Martin: Records win in relief
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Martin (4-0) earned the win over Miami on Friday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.
Dodgers starter Tyler Anderson was impressive with seven innings of one-run ball, but Los Angeles could manage only one run of their own while he was in the game. Martin took over on the mound in the eighth inning and threw 13 of 16 pitches for strikes to retire the side in order, and he was credited with the win as a result of the Dodgers scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame. Since joining Los Angeles in a July 30 trade, Martin has posted a 2.16 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB over 8.1 innings while picking up three wins and one hold.
Martin was traded from the Cubs to the Dodgers on Saturday in exchange for Zach McKinstry, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
Martin joined the Cubs on a one-year deal during the offseason but will provide bullpen assistance for the Dodgers over the second half of the year. The right-hander has struggled over his last five outings, recording a 9.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in five innings. However, he's logged a 3.29 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 13.2 innings since June 17 and will attempt to rediscover his success with his new team. Martin picked up six holds with the Cubs to begin the season but is likely to serve mainly as a middle reliever for the Dodgers.
Martin retired just two batters in relief and allowed three runs on three hits during Tuesday's loss to the Padres.
Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks allowed just one run across five innings, but then the bullpen gave up 11 runs in four innings. Martin was the first reliever to enter, and he saw his ERA climb from 3.71 to 5.09 with the rough outing. The veteran is a potential trade candidate given that he's on a one-year deal with the struggling Cubs, but he'll likely need to pitch better before the deadline to attract interest.
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Cubs' Chris Martin: Returns from restricted list
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Martin (personal) was activated from the restricted list Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
The veteran right-hander landed on the bereavement list in late May and shifted to the restricted list a week later, but he's back with the Cubs ahead of Friday's series opener against the Yankees. Martin has appeared in 18 games out of the bullpen this year and has a 3.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB across 16 innings.
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Cubs' Chris Martin: Moves to restricted list
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Martin (personal) was moved from the bereavement list to the restricted list Sunday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Sunday's move is procedural since players can't spend more than seven days on the bereavement list. Martin has been away from the team since May 29, and it's not yet clear when he'll return to action.
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Cubs' Chris Martin: Goes on bereavement leave
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The Cubs placed Martin on the bereavement list Sunday.
Per MLB rules, Martin will be away from the Cubs for 3-to-7 days while he tends to the personal matter. The Cubs have yet to announce a corresponding move to replace Martin on the roster, and the team is unlikely to summon another player from the minors until prior to Monday's doubleheader with the Brewers. Martin has mostly worked in middle relief for the Cubs this season, logging two holds to go with a 3.94 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 18 appearances.
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Cubs' Chris Martin: Option for saves?
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Martin could be in the mix for saves with the Cubs this season as manager David Ross may use multiple pitchers in the closer role, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Rowan Wick is the presumptive favorite for ninth-inning work, though Ross said he may rotate pitchers into the role. That could include the veteran Martin, along with the likes of Mychal Givens, David Robertson and Manuel Rodriguez. Martin was an effective reliever the last two seasons for Atlanta, though he only recorded two saves in that time, so he was more of a setup option than a true closer.
