Riley Martin Sacrificed His Health to Save the Chicago Cubs in a Desperate Moment
Just when you thought it wouldn’t get any more dire in the bullpen, another relief pitcher was placed on the 15-day injured list for the Chicago Cubs. This time, it’s rookie lefty Riley Martin, who began the season in Triple-A, was called up a few weeks ago, and in a short time became a key contributor in the depleted bullpen. Now, the Cubs are waiting to get results on Martin, who is dealing with an elbow injury, and it came after he stepped up in a very desperate moment for the team.
The Cubs were already down three top relievers when Caleb Thielbar exited Thursday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran left-hander suffered a hamstring strain. Craig Counsell had to scramble and brought in Martin to get out of the ninth inning. Well, during his emergency appearance, Martin was experiencing discomfort, and it became so obvious that Counsell came out with the team trainer to have a quick chat with the pitcher.
Martin didn’t relent, convinced the Cubs’ staff he was fine, and ultimately escaped a first-and-third jam to keep the game tied. A valiant effort from Martin as the Cubs were down to pretty much one guy left in Javier Assad, who did pitch the 10th inning. However, it turns out that Martin was indeed feeling something on Thursday: a few days later, he wasn’t recovering normally, and prior to Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was sidelined with elbow inflammation.
Martin made his MLB debut on April 6, against the Tampa Bay Rays. That scoreless inning came in mop-up duty, but because of more injuries, Martin suddenly became much more important in the bullpen. He was used as an opener, moved up to middle relief, and was then asked to get some big outs in high-leverage spots.
The left-handed pitcher only gave up runs in one of his eight relief outings, posting a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings. Martin looked good before getting injured as he struck out 10 batters, walked a pair, and gave up one extra-base hit.
It’s just a bummer for Martin personally. At 28 years old, Martin has been in the minor leagues since 2021, and now he has finally gotten his chance with the Cubs in MLB. Not only does he get a shot, but he also takes advantage and becomes a vital member of the bullpen, only to get injured.
Fingers crossed that the Cubs get positive news on Martin.