The Chicago Cubs recalled Corbin Martin to the bullpen Friday night after Daniel Palencia was injured, giving Martin his first big-league opportunity of the year. The move came after Chicago’s blowout win over the Mets and added another arm to a staff already being tested by injuries.
Martin signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs last offseason and had made only two appearances at Iowa this year before the call-up. He spent last season with the Orioles, where he made 17 appearances and finished with a 5.30 FIP, a 1.722 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, numbers that showed both the raw stuff and the trouble turning it into consistent results.
Chicago has been trying to shape Martin into more than a temporary fill-in. This spring, the Cubs had him pitching from the first-base side of the rubber with a slightly tweaked arm angle, a change from last year in Baltimore, when he worked from the third-base side. He was also developing a sinker designed to run in on right-handed hitters, while his best pitch was described as a mid-90s cutting fastball.
That is the profile the Cubs are betting on: a former first- or second-round pick with enough velocity and movement to matter if the command and shape come together. They have treated Martin as a reclamation project, and the early-season injuries around the staff have forced them to test it sooner than planned.
The timing matters because the Cubs have been dealing with a steady stream of pitching injuries early in the season, and Palencia’s absence only sharpened the need for help. For Martin, the call is not a finish line. It is the first chance this year to show that the arm changes, the sinker work and the fastball are enough to stick in the majors.
