On May 29, 2026 the Cincinnati Reds placed right-hander Graham Ashcraft on the 60-day injured list with a sprain to his ulnar collateral ligament and immediately selected Yunior Marte’s contract from Triple-A to bolster a depleted bullpen.
Marte’s name moved into searches and conversation today because the club summoned him as a direct response to Ashcraft’s injury — and because his recent arc is sharply divided: a dominant 2025 season in Japan followed by uneven Triple-A results this spring.
The move matters in practical terms: Ashcraft had been a primary late-inning option, compiling 23 holds last year and adding a save and 10 holds already in 2026, and his absence creates a clear vacancy in high-leverage spots. With closer Emilio Pagán already on the injured list earlier in May, manager Terry Francona had fewer reliable arms to call on when Ashcraft’s UCL sprain forced the roster change.
Marte signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in the offseason after spending 2025 with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan’s NPB, where he recorded a 1.90 ERA in 55 appearances and struck out 50 batters across 52 innings. His return to North America has been bumpy: in 20 games for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate he carried a 5.12 ERA in 19 1/3 innings, numbers that complicate expectations about how quickly he can slide into tight late-game work.
Before his stint in Japan, Marte had parts of three major-league seasons with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling 102 career appearances and a 5.64 ERA across 113 1/3 innings. His most recent big-league action came in 2024 with Philadelphia, when he appeared in 23 games and posted a 6.92 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 26 innings — a mixed résumé that helps explain why the Reds chose a cautious route by signing him to a minor league deal.
Francona emphasized the tools that make Marte intriguing: he praised the right-hander’s arm strength, called his delivery quick to the plate and said the breaking ball can be a real weapon when Marte lands it, while also noting a spring outing where the pitcher didn’t recover his usual feel as quickly as hoped. Those remarks underline why Cincinnati is willing to give Marte a shot now despite the Triple-A numbers.
The contrast between Marte’s NPB dominance — 1.90 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 52 innings — and his 5.12 ERA at Triple-A is the central, unresolved element of this promotion. It leaves the Reds with a choice: lean on the swing-and-miss promise he showed overseas, or treat him as a short-term stopgap until they find a steadier answer for late innings.
Marte joins the major-league bullpen immediately and will be tested in game situations that will determine how the club proceeds. The more consequential open question, however, is medical: how long Ashcraft will be sidelined and whether his UCL sprain ultimately requires surgery. If Ashcraft avoids a surgical route, Marte’s stay in Cincinnati is likely to be temporary; if surgery is needed, the promotion could turn into a longer audition and force the Reds to pursue outside reinforcement.
