White Sox right-hander Davis Martin made his first Minor League rehab appearance on Thursday as he works his way back from a blister issue that landed him on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 14.
Martin took the mound for Triple-A Charlotte against Memphis, beginning what the White Sox hope will be a successful build-up for a return to the Majors soon as they battle for the American League Central crown.
Here’s what you need to know:
How did Martin perform?
Martin pitched five scoreless innings over which he yielded one hit, walked one and struck out five on 59 pitches (40 strikes). The lone Memphis hit against him was a fourth-inning double.
What’s next?
Given the nature of his injury, Martin could return to the White Sox in early September. As long as he is able to continue pitching without the blister issue cropping back up, he likely won’t need a lengthy rehab assignment.
What are they saying?
After the blister emerged and Martin struggled with his control while pitching against the Reds on Aug. 13, he said that there was “a good chunk of skin gone” and that it “made sense to put [him] on the IL and get it taken care of.”
He’s confident that when he returns to the White Sox, he’ll be able to return to the form that made him one of the game’s best starting pitchers early this season.
“Any other season, if you tell me I have whatever my ERA is right now [4.32], I’d be, ‘Oh, cool,’” Martin said. “I just raised my ceiling higher than a lot of people probably thought. That’s the belief for me, my expectation now. That’s who I need to be and that’s who I am. I have all the confidence in the world when I’m pitching at my best.
“I’m one of the best pitchers in the league. Just continuing to hammer out those details and continue to be great, and consistency is a big part of it.”
What else?
Over his first 11 starts of the season, Martin was excellent, posting an even 2.00 ERA with 71 strikeouts to just 14 walks. But since June 2, his ERA is 7.06 in 13 starts. He struck out 40 and walked 25 over that span. He’ll hope that his IL stint will serve as a reset that will have him back to what he was earlier on.
Martin's overall ERA this season of 4.32 is identical to his career mark. The White Sox hope that what the 29-year-old showed over this season’s first two months is something he can replicate more consistently moving forward.