The Cubs designated right-hander Corbin Martin for assignment on Thursday and recalled Gavin Hollowell from Triple-A Iowa to take his roster spot.
Martin, 30, signed a minor league deal with Chicago in January and had his contract selected to the major league roster in mid-April. He appeared in seven games for the Cubs, but his last three outings turned into a fast exit. He allowed runs in three consecutive appearances, faced 11 batters over that span and gave up four hits, two homers and four walks while allowing six earned runs.
One club source said Martin "got hammered the last couple of times out" and "almost cost em the game last night," adding that "had to go." Another source said the biggest issue was simple: "The worst part was his inability to throw strikes. It seemed like he was consistently putting himself into poor positions to pitch."
The move leaves Chicago five days to trade Martin, place him on outright waivers or release him. Outright waivers take 48 hours, so the Cubs do not have long to decide whether there is still a path for him to stay in the organization.
Martin has pitched in parts of five major league seasons between Houston, Arizona, Baltimore and Chicago, but injuries have repeatedly stalled his career. He has totaled 80 2/3 innings with a 6.81 earned run average in the majors, and Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2020 season and much of the 2021 campaign. Surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his lat then cost him the entire 2023 season.
His departure fits a familiar pattern for a Cubs bullpen that has cycled through fringe relievers while waiting for injured arms to return healthy. Chicago is also looking for Jed Hoyer to land a reliable veteran starting pitcher or two, a search that becomes harder by the day with nearly three months left before the summer trade deadline and a market that already looks short on sellers.
For Hollowell, the recall gives the Cubs another arm to sort through while they keep trying to stabilize a relief corps that has not stayed settled for long. For Martin, Thursday marked another abrupt stop in a career that has been repeatedly interrupted, and Chicago now has only a few days to decide whether there is anything left to salvage.