The Opener: Martinez, Montes De Oca, Stanton, Snell, Scherzer

After catching up on the news from late last night, here are a few things we’ll be paying attention to around baseball today.

1. Justin Martinez, Christian Montes De Oca to go for imaging:

With two outs and a four-run lead in the ninth inning on Monday, the Diamondbacks were forced to pull Justin Martinez, as the hard-throwing right-hander felt tightness in his elbow (per Alex Weiner of AZ Sports). The D-backs would go on to win the game on a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning, but they’re not out of the woods yet. The words “elbow tightness” are always scary, and especially so for a 23-year-old who hits triple digits and has already undergone Tommy John surgery once in his career. Martinez has not been quite as effective this year as he was in his breakout 2024 season, as higher walk and home run rates have inflated his ERA from 2.48 to 4.11. Nonetheless, losing the righty for any amount of time would be a tough blow for a bullpen that ranks 27th in ERA and a team that has underperformed expectations this season. Arizona should know more about Martinez’s status after he goes for imaging today, but as Weiner notes, the team’s level of concern is high.

To make matters worse, Weiner reports that concern levels are also high for Martinez’s fellow right-handed reliever Christian Montes De Oca. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut over the weekend, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Reds. He was unavailable last night due to discomfort in his right elbow (per Weiner), and he will also go for imaging today.

2. Giancarlo Stanton to begin rehab assignment:

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been out all season with injuries in both elbows, but he will make a big step toward his return tonight. The 35-year-old is scheduled to play in his first rehab game with the Double-A Somerset Patriots, which the team confirmed this morning. While injuries have plagued Stanton throughout much of his tenure with the Yankees, he has continued to produce when healthy. In 2024, he hit 27 home runs and drove in 72 in just 114 games, putting up a .773 OPS and 116 wRC+. He also added seven more homers and a 1.048 OPS in the playoffs, helping the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. So, New York will surely be happy to have his bat back whenever he is ready, but manager Aaron Boone will have his work cut out for him figuring out how to insert Stanton into the lineup. At this point in his career, Stanton is a DH only, but the Yankees already have a regular DH in Ben Rice. They also have Paul Goldschmidt at first base and a crowded outfield picture that includes Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jasson Domínguez. Ultimately, having too many good hitters is the kind of problem every manager dreams of, but it will be worth watching to see how Boone divides up playing time once Stanton returns.

3. Bullpen sessions for former Cy Young winners:

Max Scherzer and Blake Snell have a few things in common. They’re the only active pitchers to have won a Cy Young in both leagues. They’ve both spent most of the season on the IL after signing a free agent contract with a new team over the winter. Today, they’re both expected to throw a bullpen session as they work toward their returns. Snell, who is currently with the Dodgers in San Diego, threw what the team called a “touch-and-feel” session on the weekend and will throw a proper bullpen today (per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Similarly, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that Scherzer will also throw a bullpen session today, and if all goes well, he could potentially rejoin the Blue Jays after just a pair of Triple-A rehab starts. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith suggests Scherzer’s bullpen session could be tomorrow instead, but either way, Scherzer is ramping up for a rehab appearance on Friday. Due to injuries, both Toronto and L.A. have struggled to put together complete five-man rotations this year. Needless to say, the returns of Scherzer and Snell would make a big difference for both clubs.