The Diamondbacks are reloading for a push down the stretch. Arizona is activating right-hander Justin Martinez and infielder/outfielder Jordan Lawlar off the injured list, giving the roster back its closer and one of its top prospects at the same time.
Martinez has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-June of last year, and this is the big one for Arizona's bullpen. Back in 2024 he was one of the nastiest relievers in baseball, running a 2.48 ERA over 72 2/3 innings with a 29.5% strikeout rate and 58.9% ground-ball rate, and he signed a 5-year, $18 million extension with a pair of club options that spring. He didn't come back timid, either — his rehab outings included 4 shutout innings with a fastball that averaged 101.4 mph.
Lawlar's road back has been rougher. The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 draft finally looked like he was living up to the prospect hype early this season, moving to the outfield and hitting.316/.409/.447 in limited action before a broken wrist knocked him out for over 2 months. He came back, played about a week, then strained his hamstring — a brutal one-two punch for a guy who's been chasing his first real big-league foothold for a while.
To clear space, Arizona optioned first baseman Tyler Locklear and right-hander Gerardo Carrillo to Triple-A Reno. It's a straightforward corresponding-moves swap, but the timing matters — getting a shutdown arm and a former top-10 prospect back healthy in mid-August is exactly the kind of depth boost a team wants heading into the final stretch of the season.
For Arizona, this is as much about January as it is about August. Martinez locking down the ninth again gives the bullpen a real closer, and every rep Lawlar gets is a chance to finally answer whether he's a everyday piece for next year's roster or still a tantalizing what-if. Health has been the one thing standing between both guys and the impact everyone in the organization has been waiting on.