Martini is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.
The lefty-hitting Martini had started in each of the Reds' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers, but he'll hit the bench Monday against Twins righty Joe Ryan. With Martini out of the starting nine, the Reds will open up a spot in the lineup for Noelvi Marte, who will serve as Cincinnati's third baseman and No. 8 hitter.
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Reds' Nick Martini: On bench against lefty
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Martini is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.
The lefty-hitting Martini will hit the bench for the fifth time in seven games, but all of his absences during that stretch have come against left-handed starting pitchers. He's started each of the Reds' last three matchups with right-handers and seems to have a loose hold on a strong-side platoon role for the time being. Since his call-up from Triple-A Louisville on Aug. 22, Martini has been productive at the plate with an .820 OPS over 61 plate appearances.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Provides key hit
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Martini entered as a pinch hitter and hit a three-run home run in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.
Martini's three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning tied the game before Christian Encarnacion-Strand ended matters in the ninth. The home run was Martini's fourth in 46 plate appearances since the Reds added him to the roster in August. Prior to his stint with Cincinnati, the 33-year-old had just two homers in 333 PAs in the majors. Martini, who had an .874 OPS at Triple-A Louisville, was overlooked several times earlier this season as the club called up its younger prospects, but he may have had the biggest hit in the Reds' improbable season.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Goes to bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Martini is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Hunter Renfroe will enter the lineup in the corner outfield as a replacement for Martini, who had started in all but three of the Reds' past 14 games. All three of his absences had come when the Reds faced left-handed pitchers, but the lefty-hitting Martini will sit against right-hander Bryce Miller on Tuesday. Martini's move to the bench comes amid a 4-for-27 slide at the plate over his last nine games.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Homers in nightcap
Rotowire
Martini started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 win over the Cubs in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the matinee.
Martini, who had an early impact after the Reds selected his contract in August, has slipped since, going 3-for-16 over the last six games. Jake Fraley's return from the injured list should limit Martini's plate appearances over the final month of the season.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Stays hot Saturday
Rotowire
Martini went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI in Saturday's 8-7 win over Arizona.
Martini has now posted a monstrous 1.423 OPS through five games with the Reds since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, and so long as he's wielding a hot bat, he'll likely continue to play on a near-everyday basis while Cincinnati is without the likes of Jonathan India (foot), Joey Votto (shoulder), Jake Fraley (toe) and Stuart Fairchild (concussion). Martini will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and No. 5 batter in Sunday's series finale.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Breaks out with two homers
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Martini went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, four RBI, one walk and three total runs scored in Friday's 10-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Martini had gone 0-for-6 with a walk over his first three games since he was selected to the Reds' roster Tuesday. He made a noticeable impact Friday with a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run blast in the sixth. The 33-year-old outfielder has found a path to playing time between right field and designated hitter with Jake Fraley (toe) and Stuart Fairchild (concussion) on the injured list. Martini slashed a strong .275/.393/.481 with 15 homers over 93 games with Triple-A Louisville prior to his call-up.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Selected to MLB roster
Rotowire
Cincinnati selected Martini's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Martini inked a minor-league deal with the Reds back in February and had put up a .275/.393/.481 batting line with 15 homers and 65 RBI through 93 games for Louisville. He'll be a backup option at first base and in the corner outfield while also possibly cycling into the DH role.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Signs minor-league deal with Reds
Rotowire
Martini signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Friday.
Martini has appeared in 112 big-league games, hitting .270/.369/.369. Over the last four seasons, however, he's hit just .238/.338/.315 in 57 MLB contests. He spent last season with the NC Dinos of the KBO, hitting .296/.365/.461 with 16 homers and 12 steals. If he wins a bench spot, he'll have a nice park to call home, but he doesn't look like a favorite to do so.
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Nick Martini: Headed for KBO
Rotowire
Martini agreed in principle Thursday to a contract with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization, Jim Bulley of the Korea Joongang Daily reports.
Given the uncertainty of the 2022 MLB season in addition to the fact that he would likely have to settle for a minor-league deal if he stayed stateside, the 31-year-old outfielder will instead opt for some greater financial security by heading overseas. Over parts of three seasons in the big leagues spent with the Athletics, Padres and Cubs, Martini owns a respectable .270/.369/.369 slash line across 333 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Removed from 40-man roster
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Martini was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Martini saw inconsistent playing time in the majors during the 2021 campaign and will now lose his spot on the 40-man roster. If he remains in the organization, he'll likely compete for a major-league roster spot during spring training in 2022.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Collects four hits Tuesday
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Martini went 4-for-4 with two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Pirates.
Martini rejoined the Cubs a week ago and had collected just two hits in eight at-bats since getting the call, so this performance certainly came out of nowhere. In fact, the 31-year-old only had five hits all season before Tuesday. Martini may see some more playing time down the stretch with Jason Heyward (concussion) done for the year, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect too much from the journeyman outfielder.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Rejoins big-league club
Rotowire
Martini was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The 31-year-old was sent to Triple-A over the weekend but will quickly rejoin the major-league roster with Alfonso Rivas (finger) landing on the injured list. Martini has appeared in 22 games for the Cubs this season and has a .158/.227/.211 slash line.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Returns to minors
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The Cubs optioned Martini to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Martini went 2-for-7 with a double and one RBI in his latest stint with the Cubs, raising his season-long average to .158 in 19 total at-bats. Barring other injuries on the big-league club, it seems unlikely Martini gets another call-up before the season ends.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Contract selected by Cubs
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Martini's contract was selected from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Martini was outrighted to the minors in early June, and he slashed .274/.384/.444 with 10 homers, 51 runs, 38 RBI and two stolen bases in 71 minor-league games since then. The 31-year-old will serve as outfield depth after Michael Hermosillo (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Clears waivers
Rotowire
The Cubs outrighted Martini to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.
Martini will remain in the organization after he wasn't claimed off waivers when the Cubs removed him from the 40-man roster Saturday. The 30-year-old outfielder appeared in 12 games for the big club, going 1-for-12 at the dish.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Designated for assignment
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Martini was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Martini spent just over two weeks on the major-league roster, but he appeared in just seven games during his most recent stint with the Cubs. He'll now be removed from the 40-man roster as part of a shuffle to make room for right-hander Dakota Chalmers, who was claimed off waivers Saturday.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Dropped from active roster
Rotowire
Martini was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Martini spent one week on the Cubs' active roster but didn't see much action, going 1-for-5 at the plate. Nico Hoerner (forearm) returned from the injured list in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Contract selected by Cubs
Rotowire
Martini's contract was selected by the Cubs on Friday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The 30-year-old has played 87 games at the highest level and owns a respectable .269/.378/.380 slash line. He was part of the Phillies' player pool last season but never made the active roster. He'll likely serve in a bench role during his time with the team. Ian Happ (ribs) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Nick Martini: Gets MiLB deal from Cubs
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Martini signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Jan. 2, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.
A native of Crystal Lake, Ill., Martini will continue his career with his hometown organization after he spent the 2020 campaign with the Phillies. Though he was a member of Philadelphia's 60-man roster pool throughout the 60-game MLB season, the 30-year-old outfielder never earned a callup from the alternate training site. He'll likely need to perform well at Triple-A Iowa early on during the upcoming season to put himself in the mix for a promotion to the Cubs.
