Outfielder Nick Martini (35), who played one year with the NC Dinos in the 2022 KBO League, has made the opening roster for the second consecutive year. Following his time with the Cincinnati Reds last year, he has now made the opening roster with the Colorado Rockies as a non-roster invitee.

On the 24th (Korea time), Colorado added outfielder Martini to the 40-man roster, sending down outfield prospect Jack Bean to Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes as a minor option.

Martini, who signed a minor league contract with Colorado in mid-January and joined spring training as a non-roster invitee, swung a hot bat during the exhibition games. In 16 games, he had a batting average of .389 (36 at-bats, 14 hits), 2 home runs, 4 RBIs, 4 runs scored, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts, 2 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .511, a slugging percentage of .556, and an OPS of 1.067.

According to 'MLB.com', Martini has also secured a spot on the 26-man opening roster. Bud Black, the manager of Colorado, noted, "Martini has shown a very good performance. He has brought elements to the team similar to those of Jake Cave, who was loved by fans last year."

The Cave mentioned by Manager Black is indeed the foreign hitter currently playing for the Doosan Bears in the KBO League. Last year, Cave played a full season as a corner outfielder with Colorado, achieving a batting average of .251 (323 at-bats, 81 hits), 7 home runs, 37 RBIs, and an OPS of .686. Although the performance wasn't outstanding, his hustle plays earned him the love of fans.

After failing to re-sign with Colorado, Cave headed to Korea. He signed with Doosan for the newly set foreign player salary cap of $1 million. In the opening two-game series against the SSG Landers on the 22nd and 23rd, he went hitless in 8 at-bats, with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts, starting off with a poor performance.

It seems that Martini, a former KBO League player, is filling the spot left by Cave, as he also plays as a corner outfielder and exhibits energetic play.

For Martini personally, this marks his second consecutive entry into the opening day roster. Last year, while wearing a Cincinnati uniform, he started as the designated hitter in the season opener against the Washington Nationals on March 29, hitting back-to-back home runs and finishing with 2 hits in 4 at-bats and 5 RBIs. He led Cincinnati to victory in the opening game (8-2) with a two-run home run in the second inning and a three-run home run in the third.

Despite a strong start, it turned out to be a disappointing season. He finished with a batting average of .212 (146 at-bats, 31 hits), 5 home runs, 24 RBIs, and an OPS of .651 over 52 games. He was placed on the injured list for a left thumb sprain in the second half and ended the season in Triple-A. After the season, he was removed from the 40-man roster and became a free agent. Although he departed from Cincinnati regrettably, he succeeded in seizing another opportunity with Colorado.

Left-handed, lefty outfielder Martini signed a contract worth $800,000 with NC in 2022, spending one season in Korea. That year, his batting average was .296 (510 at-bats, 151 hits), with 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, 51 walks, 86 strikeouts, 15 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .365, a slugging percentage of .461, and an OPS of .826, marking a respectable performance. He was also selected for the All-Star game and set a historic record on August 7 by hitting the fourth-ever inside-the-park grand slam in KBO League history against the Lotte Giants.

While demonstrating consistency as a power hitter and playing full-time without injury, NC gave up on Martini, who was a corner outfielder. They parted ways with Martini to bring in Jason Martin, a former home run king in Triple-A. Although his reserved rights were released, Martini did not receive offers from other teams and signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in 2023. After being called up to the big leagues at the end of August that year, he made an impact in a short period with a batting average of .264 (72 at-bats, 19 hits), 6 home runs, 16 RBIs, and an OPS of .912 over 29 games, continuing his career in the major leagues for three consecutive years until now.

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