The Brewers have claimed right-hander Corbin Martin off waivers from the Diamondbacks, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hogg adds that right-hander Kevin Herget was designated for assignment to make room for Martin on the club’s 40-man roster. The Brewers subsequently optioned Martin to Triple-A.
Martin, 28, was a second-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft and, after dominating the Double-A level of the minors in his first full pro season, garnered plenty of top-100 prospect buzz prior to the 2019 season, even making his big league debut early in the season. Martin’s rise was thrown off course by him undergoing Tommy John surgery midway through the 2019 campaign, but that didn’t stop Houston from packaging him alongside Seth Beer, JB Bukauskas, and Josh Rojas to acquire future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline that summer.
The right-hander’s career began to come off the rails once he arrived in Arizona, however. Martin missed the entire 2020 season while rehabbing from surgery and didn’t make his organizational debut with Arizona until May of that year. He struggled through 43 1/3 innings of work split between the major league level and Triple-A that year, posting a whopping 10.69 ERA in five big league appearances along with a 5.93 ERA in 27 1/3 frames with the club’s affiliate in Reno. Martin’s struggles continued in 2022 as Martin pitched to a 4.84 ERA and 4.59 FIP in seven appearances for the big league club. The righty spent the majority of the season in the minors before once again being shut down due to injury in August of that year.
That proved to be the last time Martin would pitch in the majors for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander missed the entire 2023 campaign after suffering a lat tendon tear in his right shoulder that ended up requiring surgery. He returned to action with the beginning of the 2024 season, but allowed a 9.00 ERA in three innings of work before being designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks last week.
Now with the Brewers, Martin will be reunited with Bukauskas as a potential bullpen option in Milwaukee, though the right-hander will begin his tenure with the club in the minor leagues. Given Martin’s previous prospect pedigree and impressive results when healthier earlier in his career, the Brewers are no doubt hoping they can tap into some of that potential Martin has flashed throughout his career now that he’s fully healthy. If he does enough to earn himself an opportunity in the majors, he’ll enter the club’s middle relief mix alongside the likes of Bryse Wilson and Thyago Vieira.
Making room for Martin on the Brewers’ 40-man roster is Herget, who was selected to the club’s roster earlier this week after signing with Milwaukee on a minor league deal last month. The 33-year-old ultimately did not make an appearance with the Brewers at the big league level, though he had posted 5 1/3 scoreless innings of work in Triple-A. After being drafted by the Cardinals in the 39th round of the 2013 draft, Herget bounced around the minor leagues before eventually making his big league debut with the Rays in 2022. He’s made brief cameos in the majors in each of the past two seasons with Tampa and Cincinnati, pitching to a combined 5.74 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 31 1/3 innings of work. The Brewers will now have one week to waive, trade, or release Herget.
The panic in Milwaukee is starting to show
They claim all kinds of people. They hit on some, the rest don’t matter, just names to try. Any pitcher should consider themselves lucky to go to Milwaukee at this point.
No doubt. Less than a month into the season, playing well, and doing things they do every season whether it’s April, June or September..claiming guys, sticking them in the minors, and dfa’ing a random guy they picked off the scrap heap previously.
Total panic move for sure.
Panic in Milwaukee???? You should worry about your moms meatloaf being properly cooked then a “panic” in Milwaukee
Can’t you just enjoy a sport without a stupid comment like this???! Your parents must be proud!!! They raised a moron!!!! Just enjoy baseball if you think there’s panic after a short part of the season your obviously not a smart individual
There young and there fun to watch get over it!!!! If you don’t like it don’t watch em they don’t care if you watch they don’t care about your feelings watch another team!!! I find them fun to watch!!!! Look at the standings there doing ok…..but your experience is obviously important where your basement opinion matters
I just watched a very impressive Brewers team take it to my O’s 2/3 this weekend. There’s a lot to like in Milwaukee.
That third game was a fun one to watch even as a Brewers fan.
There are many examples of pitchers not able to comeback from UCL surgery. Second TJ surgery failure rate is much higher. It is not given that pitchers comeback from TJ surgery and be as effective as before.
Herget wore out another welcome after another round of batting practice.
I swear a lot of these organizations don’t do much, if any research on these guys.
They thought it was a different Corbin.
Is ZG a for sure HOFer?
I’d say yes (despite once being traded for beer and bukkauke (and rojas)).
I would say good chance but maybe not for sure. I would like to see the comps.
Baseball-Reference does all of that for you
Brewers usually do better picking up reclamation pitchers than teams that spend a fortune on long term contracts that more often than not fail.
Is this their way of filling the Corbin Burnes void? Signing another Corbin.
Yes. And they’re also in talks with Monty Burns, Baron Corbin, Tyrone Corbin and Corbin Bernson.
They already have JB Bukauskas. Now they just need to pick up Seth Beer and Josh Rojas to re-complete the Zack Greinke trade (who also played for the Brewers).