It has been a bit of a trying year for Braves reliever Chris Martin. It wasn’t that long ago that Martin was considered by many to be among the most reliable arms in the Braves’ bullpen that seemed to avoid the drama-filled innings that other Braves’ relievers seem to encounter on the regular. However, this season has been a struggle as he has missed time first with shoulder inflammation back in April and then at the beginning of September, the Braves put him on the IL with elbow inflammation.
Even when he has been on the mound, Martin has struggled with many of those struggles coming in the second half of the season which has seen him post a 6.50 ERA and opposing batters posting an .852 OPS against him after the All-Star break. Some of that has been due to some back luck thanks to a .400 BABIP against him and there is a chance that the new sticky stuff rules have impacted him somewhat, but the results have not been good whatever the reason may be.
Hopefully after some time on the shelf, he is back to his old self and we are going to find out very soon.
RHP Chris Martin is set to begin his major league rehabilitation assignment tonight with Triple-A Gwinnett.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 14, 2021
The Braves could really use Martin as some of the arms in the Braves’ bullpen have been of....questionable value and the stable of righthanders is particularly thin. Martin is certainly a guy that has struggled to stay healthy in his time with the Braves, but when he is right, he is usually among the best three or so relievers in the entire bullpen.
In 40 appearances this season with the Braves, Chris Martin has posted a 4.17 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and six walks in 36.2 innings pitched.