Amid Rays injury news, Martin makes MLB debut -- and dad makes meaningful trip

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays lost another key part of their bullpen before Monday’s series opener against the Reds at Tropicana Field, and they revealed that one of their top high-leverage arms is further away from a return than anticipated.

Right-hander Mason Englert was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm tightness, and right-hander Trevor Martin was selected to the Major League roster from Triple-A Durham.

Martin made his Major League debut in the Rays’ 6-1 loss, giving up a run on two hits while striking out two over 2 1/3 innings. His efforts helped manager Kevin Cash limit his bullpen usage after a busy weekend, as the Rays used only Martin and Cole Sulser after starter Jesse Scholtens gave up five runs despite striking out six in 5 2/3 innings.

“Happy for him,” Cash said. “We needed the pitches today, given what we just went through in Pittsburgh.”

It was a meaningful trip for Martin. Maybe even more so for his father, Michael, who told Rays.TV reporter Ryan Bass that he had never been on an airplane before flying here from Oklahoma to see his son live out his dream of pitching in the big leagues.

Martin said after the game that his dad, who is “not big on the plane thing” and “would rather drive 20 hours than get on a two-hour flight,” had been saving his first flight for the official ceremony celebrating his marriage this coming offseason in Cabo San Lucas.

Martin’s debut accelerated the timeline, for good reason.

“I called him yesterday and I was like, 'Hey, I'm going to the big leagues. You're gonna have to get on a flight if you want to make it,’” Martin said, laughing. “He was super nervous, but he luckily got through it.”

In a separate development, Cash revealed that high-leverage right-hander Edwin Uceta sustained a right subscapularis strain, a different injury than the right shoulder impingement he was already recovering from. The right-hander was on a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham when he reported soreness in the back of his throwing shoulder.

Uceta, who has been injured since the beginning of Spring Training, will be shut down from throwing for two to three weeks. That means he is likely at least four to six weeks away from potentially being able to pitch in the Majors.

In addition to right-handers Manuel Rodriguez and Steven Wilson being on the 60-day injured list, the Rays have lost three key relievers in Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger (right calf tightness) and now Englert to injuries.

The good news, relatively speaking, is that Englert’s injury doesn’t appear to be too serious. Cash said the Rays are “not overly concerned” about Englert’s status, as imaging revealed no major issues. The right-hander will be shut down from throwing for a few days, then he will be built back up as a multi-inning arm.

“The early stuff looks like it’s going to be in a good spot. It’s nothing too concerning or too major,” Englert said. “I’m in a good spot. … Everything feels good.”

Englert said he has felt some discomfort for about a week, noting that it was taking his throwing elbow a little longer than usual to loosen up. The Rays made the decision after Sunday’s series finale in Pittsburgh, when Englert threw 38 pitches over 2 1/3 innings a day after recording two outs in the Rays’ marathon, 13-inning victory against the Pirates.

But Englert echoed Cash’s sentiment, saying he is “not at all” worried about it being a long-term issue.

“It would bark warming up, the recovery day after or the first couple throws of an inning after sitting for a second,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. It just needs a second to chill.”

With those injuries affecting their roster, the Rays summoned the 25-year-old Martin from Triple-A and put him right to work.

A third-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Oklahoma State, Martin moved to the bullpen last year and pitched well for Double-A Montgomery. He was off to a hot start for Durham, racking up 11 strikeouts (with six walks) in 9 1/3 innings over seven scoreless appearances.

Martin found out Sunday, when Triple-A manager Morgan Ensberg gathered the team to review some details of their upcoming travel plans. At the end, he told the group, “Martin, you’re not going to be on the bus. You’re going to the big leagues.”

Martin immediately called his wife, Hanna, then shared the news with his parents, Michael and April. Those three, Hanna’s family and several other friends and family members quickly -- and nervously, in Michael’s case -- booked flights to see his debut in person.

“They were just super happy, super proud, because they know the journey that it's been from the time I was young to now, to be able to be a big leaguer,” he said.