SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ¨C Rockies manager Bud Black waited for days until it was safe to give outfielder Nick Martini his special moment.
Martini, 34, was in the midst of a special Spring Training -- good enough that the Rockies decided early that they would promote him to the Major League roster -- when he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist on March 16. X-rays were negative, meaning once Martini healed the news would be positive.
¡°I kept looking at him and asking, ¡®Are you OK?¡¯¡± Black said.
Martini returned -- wearing extra wrist padding -- after six days¡¯ absence to play in two games, including a 4-2 loss to the Brewers in the Cactus League finale on Monday, to finish with a slash line of .368/.489/.526. There¡¯s a good chance Martini will be in the starting lineup when the Rockies face the Rays in the regular season opener on Friday.
Black just had to make sure Martini, who will receive starts and playing time in a corner outfield rotation with Jordan Beck and Sean Bouchard, was over the bruise before spilling the beans. And Martini wasn¡¯t going to fully believe it until the beans spilled.
¡°I wasn¡¯t 100 percent because you never know, I¡¯ve only made one Opening Day,¡± Martini said. ¡°But, yeah, he was asking me a lot. I mean it was good that he was concerned.
¡°I¡¯m super excited to get going.¡±
This makes the second straight season Martini has made the club as a non-roster invitee. He can only wish this year is like last, when he blasted two home runs in the Reds¡¯ 8-2 victory over the Nationals at Great American Ball Park.
¡°Cincinnati is a wild Opening Day -- a ton of fans -- so that was one of the more special memories I¡¯ve had on a baseball field,¡± Martini said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be more grateful.¡±
Martini appeared in 118 games in 2018-19 and ¡®21 with the Athletics, Padres and Cubs, but spent ¡®22 in Korea with the NC Dinos. His .296 batting average with 16 home runs and 85 RBIs led to one offer, a Minor League one without a big league invitation with the Reds in 2023. He worked his way to the Majors, but had to make the Reds last year as a non-roster player.
In 2024, he underwent left thumb surgery in July, amid a season that saw him finish .212 with five homers in 52 games. He signed with the Rockies before Spring Training for another chance.
¡°I appreciate it more than people will ever know,¡± he said. ¡°Once you go overseas, you never know what¡¯s going to happen when you come back. I had only one Minor League offer and I didn¡¯t even get to go to [Major League] camp.
¡°I don¡¯t take opportunities for granted.¡±
Order set
Black announced that the starter order at Tampa Bay is lefty Kyle Freeland for Friday¡¯s opener, followed by righties Antonio Senzatela and Ryan Feltner.
Senzatela, limited to three Major League starts last season in his return from Tommy John surgery, posted a 1.21 ERA in 22 1/3 Cactus League innings.
The order in Tampa means righty Germ¨¢n M¨¢rquez will start the March 31 first game at Philadelphia. Also returning from Tommy John, M¨¢rquez dealt with right shoulder soreness after a March 2 start that saw the Mariners drive up his pitch count.
Lefty Austin Gomber, who experienced left shoulder soreness early in camp, will start for Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday at Sacramento and make another Triple-A start before he is eligible to return from the 15-day injured list on April 8. Black said the Rockies are considering having righty swingman Bradley Blalock make a start, which could give Gomber more time.
Home awaits
The rotation falls so that Feltner -- who tossed five innings and gave up two runs while striking out four in his final spring outing on Monday -- will make his second start of the season in the Rockies¡¯ home opener, against the Athletics on April 4.
¡°I had them [home openers] throughout the Minor Leagues -- I think I had Spokane and Albuquerque as well,¡± Feltner said. ¡°It¡¯s just a different atmosphere, regardless of what level. There are flyovers, things like that. I expect it to be sold out. It¡¯s always great energy and I like to think I feed off those things.¡±
Final shot
In a scene no one wants in the final Cactus League game, catcher Hunter Goodman was drilled in the left side by a 92.3 mph fastball from Brewers righty Tyler Bryant with one out in the ninth. While Goodman was being removed and examined, shortstop and No. 13 prospect Ryan Ritter was hit by a pitch with two outs.