By The Tampa Bay Rays open up the 2026 season in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon, and there is already potential trouble on the horizon before the first pitch is thrown.
And that centers around Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez.
Over the winter, the Rays signed right-hander Nick Martinez to be an anchor in the rotation and the number five starter.
Martinez’s spring training has been frustrating, and that may be an understatement.
After his last two spring outings, the Rays may question the signing of Martinez.
In seven and two-thirds innings of work, Martinez has been shellacked for 22 runs, giving up 18 hits. He walked three and had one strikeout in those two outings.
Overall, this spring, Martinez has started four games, given up 29 hits and 22 runs, and recorded four strikeouts in 13 and 2/3 innings, with a 14.49 ERA.
For a veteran pitcher expected to bring stability and be able to be an innings eater to a staff that values versatility, Martinez has instead looked out of sync, inconsistent, and, at times, overmatched, and been anything but consistent.
The Rays have built their pitching philosophy around flexibility, mixing and matching roles depending on matchups and workload.
The Rays signed Martinez to give them a reliable option to cover innings in a variety of situations—spot starts, long relief, or bridging games when the bullpen is taxed.
Tampa felt that Martinez would be that guy.
However, what we have seen from Martinez during spring training has been anything but encouraging.
His command has been a major issue. Martinez has never been a pure power arm. His success has always hinged on locating pitches, changing speeds, and keeping hitters off balance.
This spring, however, his command within the strike zone has been spotty at best. He’s fallen behind in counts far too often, forcing him to throw more predictable pitches in hitter-friendly situations.
When he does get ahead, he hasn’t been able to consistently finish hitters, leading to longer at-bats and elevated pitch counts. For a pitcher who relies on precision rather than overpowering stuff, even a slight dip in command can have a disastrous effect, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen.
Also, his pitches have looked flat, and hitters have been able to square him up more often than expected.
Martinez hasn’t been able to keep hitters guessing. The opposition has had a field day teeing off against Martinez, as they appear very comfortable at the plate batting against him.
Not one known for an overpowering fastball, his fastball has zero zip this spring, giving hitters more time to react.
Without that extra zip, Martinez’s margin for error shrinks. It also affects the rest of his arsenal and the effectiveness of his offspeed pitches.
Martinez may still be finding his way with the Rays. Spring training results can be deceptive, and it is a small sample size.
Do the Rays have buyer’s remorse?
It is too early to tell.
The Rays are hoping that Martinez can make the necessary adjustments as the games now start to count.
To compound the ineffectiveness of Martinez this spring, the Rays announced that pitcher Ryan Pepiot will begin the season on the 15-day DL with hip inflammation.
Joe Boyle will take his spot in the rotation to begin the season.
The Rays will be patient with the veteran Martinez to a certain point.
But if Martinez continues to struggle, look for the Durham shuffle to begin earlier than anticipated, with Yeondry Gomez getting the call to pitch in relief. At the same time, Ian Seymour will step into the rotation.
The Rays signed Martinez for his reliability, and so far this spring, reliability has been the one thing missing.
