Like many members of major league baseball clubs across the country, Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Justin Martinez will be playing in the Dominican Winter League. Martinez will pitch for guilas Cibaeas.
The electric, flamethrowing righty made his return to the major league mound from Tommy John surgery this season, pitching to a 2.03 ERA in 15 appearances .
But Martinez's participation was somewhat limited, and he was held in a more low- and medium-leverage role for many of those innings. That did not stop him from being effective, but he was not the one pumping triple-digit fastballs in the ninth inning, as many D-backs fans were likely hoping to see.
But that could be changing this season. According to a new report from insider Mike Rodriguez, Martinez is not far away from that type of role.
Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Justin Martinez (63) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
According to Rodriguez, Martinez will be given the closer's role for guilas Cibaeas right away. He will be closing out games from the beginning of their season, which begins on October 16.
There will, however, still be some limitations on Martinez. He may not be allowed to pitch conseecutive games, which was something that applied during his major league season, as well. Considering he's had multiple elbow surgeries , it's the safe call to make in the MLB offseason.
But this is good news for anyone who wanted to see Martinez taking on higher-leverage bullpen experience once again.
He has been an effective closer in the past for Arizona, with 14 career converted saves in 17 opportunities. He has also struck out more batters than innings pitched in every one of his major league campaigns - short or long.
In fact, he delivered an immaculate inning for the Diamondbacks in a win over the Texas Rangers this past season. It was, somehow, the second immaculate inning of the year for Arizona.
The righty flamethrower is still prone to wildness and walks, of course. He walked 10 batters in the 13.1 innings he pitched this season. But when his stuff is working, it makes it very difficult for opposing batters to cash in on any of those free passes.
With this winter league role looming, it looks like he'll be poised to take on a late-inning, potential closer role with the D-backs in 2027 and beyond.
Arizona switched to a closer-by-committee approach in the midst of 2026, to great success. Most likely, Martinez will simply be one of those options going forward. But it will still be exciting for fans to see the flamethrower back in the ninth inning, to be certain.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi as Latest Justin Martinez Report is Promising Sign for 2027 D-backs Role .
