Rule 5 Pick Josh Martin Returned to Indians

When Josh Martin was named to the Opening Day roster, the baseball community was surprised by the move. When he was designated for assignment the following day, some smart people read some clarity into the move. By placing him on the 25-man roster, albeit momentarily, AJ Preller bought himself ten days to find a way to try to keep Martin that would allow him to be assigned to a minor league team, which would have required some sort of trade with the team from which he was drafted. Alas, no deal was worked out, and today Josh Martin was returned to the Cleveland Indians.

Martin stumbled out of the gate during spring training, but finished strong. His curveball drew rave reviews, and Padres coaches tried to work with him to use it more effectively. While the coaching staff was impressed by his performance in high-leverage relief roles, there just wasn't enough room on the roster to keep both Martin and fellow Rule 5 draftee Luis Perdomo.