ARLINGTON — Tuesday’s live bullpen session was a test. Texas Rangers right-hander Chris Martin — or, specifically, his lower leg — didn’t pass.
Martin ended a live bullpen session early Tuesday at Globe Life Field when his strained left calf flared up after he threw a pitch. The Rangers will pause Martin’s ramp up for “two or three days,” manager Bruce Bochy said, and see how his calf responds afterwards.
“We’ve just got to back him off and continue to re-evaluate him until we think he’s ready to get back on the mound,” Bochy said before Tuesday’s game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. “He was actually pretty good for his first few pitches, but I guess he felt it, the calf.”
Martin, 39, has been sidelined with the calf strain since July 21 and threw two pain-free bullpens before he faced hitters Tuesday. He said that the pain was not as bad as the original injury that has now forced him to miss three weeks of time.
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“Obviously, with the the timeline, we probably should be smart,” Martin said. “I’m not going to push it and re-injure it again and have another ordeal.”
Martin has a 2.36 ERA in 39 games this season and served as the bullpen’s setup man before his second trip to the injured list. He was sidelined from May 20-June 5 with right shoulder fatigue and had to leave multiple games this season after just a single pitch. He left the first, on May 13, after “popping in his elbow.” The second early exit five days later was because of shoulder discomfort.
“I can throw ‘pens, I can throw long toss,” Martin said. “That was the first test. It felt good up until that point.”
Martin is the oldest player to suit up for the Rangers this season. Outfielder Evan Carter — the second-youngest at 22-years-old — began a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco Tuesday night. Bochy said it’s still to be determined how many at bats Carter will need before activation.
“More than anything,” Bochy said, “he’ll let us know when he’s ready.”
Bochy said that he hopes the Rangers aren’t “forced” by another injury to recall Carter before he is ready. Carter has been out since Aug. 2 with back spasms.
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