GLENDALE, Ariz. — Davis Martin has jokingly referred to himself as “the old guy” on a couple of occasions since becoming the longest-tenured player on the Chicago White Sox roster.
“But it’s still my third big-league camp so there’s still things I’m, like, nervous getting going, ‘all right, here we go,’” Martin said Wednesday at Camelback Ranch. “It’s not like, roll out of bed and ‘Oh, we have spring training.’
“I still get juices flowing during spring training. It’s fun to get that stuff going.”
Photos: Chicago White Sox on photo day at spring training
Martin, 29, made his first start of the spring Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit with a walk in two innings against the Cincinnati Reds. The right-hander focused on being “hyperaggressive in the zone.” He threw 29 pitches, 17 of which were strikes.
“(I wanted to be) a guy who bullies the zone first pitch, always gets ahead of guys,” Martin said. “Sets the tone. Doesn’t fall behind guys. That’s a very controllable thing for me and a controllable goal I’ve had. Just hyperfixating on that, getting ahead of guys. Constantly putting pressure on them and letting the (at-bat) follow.”
Before Wednesday’s outing, Martin hadn’t liked the way he had been throwing this spring.
“I’ll have a pen where I feel good and then the next outing the live, I feel out of sync,” he said. “Then the bullpen feels bad and then the live is in sync.
“(Wednesday) was the first day that I kind of put it all together. It felt like it was a best version of myself so far in camp, so it’s exciting and something to build off of going forward.”
Martin set career highs with seven wins, 25 starts, 142 2/3 innings and 104 strikeouts last season. He became the longest-tenured Sox after the club traded center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets during the offseason. Martin made his major-league debut on May 17, 2022. Infielder Lenyn Sosa appeared in a game in June 2022.
“Even last year he seemed like a guy that had been around a long time, and I didn’t realize that he hadn’t,” manager Will Venable said of Martin on Thursday. “He just kind of has that sense of how he goes about his business, the way he commands respect from his teammates. He also goes about his business in a way that sets a great example for everybody.
“He’s somebody we’re really glad to have and glad, as we’re looking for this group to take steps forward from a leadership standpoint, that he’s one of those guys.”
White Sox catcher Edgar Quero, from left, bullpen catcher Bennett Markinson and starter Davis Martin joke around during spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 18, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Martin is focused on goals he can control, adding that “innings and strike one kind of go hand in hand.”
“If you get ahead of guys often, a lot of good things happen for you and you go deep into games,” Martin said. “I’m not going to go chase strikeouts. I’m not going to go chase ERA. I’m not going to go do any of those things.
“I just want to be a foundation for the team and for the bullpen, and I think every starter does. I think Shane (Smith) and Sean (Burke) and some of the other guys are going to tell you the same thing. They want to go out there six-plus (innings) and it’s kind of what we pride ourselves on.”
Injury updates
Outfielder Everson Pereira continues to recover from tightness in his right side. He has yet to play in a Cactus League game this spring.
“Just a little tight, but I feel good,” he said through an interpreter Thursday morning.
Pereira described the setback as his “oblique,” saying in English, “It’s just sore.”
He didn’t have a timetable, but is eager to return after impressing early in camp.
“That’s one of the more frustrating parts because this is a new team for me and I know I have to show what I can do,” Pereira said through an interpreter. The Sox acquired Pereira as part of an offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. “At the same time, it’s a competition, right? There’s a lot of young talent here and everybody is fighting for a spot.”
Venable said outfielder/infielder Luisangel Acuña had a “pretty good gash” after sliding safely into second base during a steal attempt in Wednesday’s game. He exited in the fourth inning with a cut above his left eyebrow and later received four stitches.
Acuña said his helmet fell off and hit him.
“We’ll give him a couple of days,” Venable said. “Today was a light day for him and we’ll ramp him back up over the next couple of days. (It’s) Feb. 26, no rush.
“Just want to make sure he’s getting healed up and just knowing that we have a long season with him. We want to make sure he’s getting all the reps at the right time.”