Martinez (illness) threw what manager Mike Shildt described as a "low-intensity live batting practice" Monday, and the team currently isn't planning to have him return as anything but a starter, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports. "Carlos wants to start, and I understand that, and I appreciate that," Shildt said. "Ultimately, we're going to perform with guys that have their heart in a certain position."

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander and Shildt had a conversation about Martinez's role following the session, and the skipper's remarks imply he empathizes with Martinez's desire to start to the extent he's willing to forgo any potential plans to reintegrate him as a reliever. However, the tradeoff to that approach is that Martinez may require a few extra days of building up before he's deemed ready for activation. "It's gonna take longer for him to just get back to being able to handle the load of what we would expect the starter to handle," Shildt said. "And candidly, we can't stay in a mode where we can just keep building guys up on the fly."

Martinez (illness) will face live hitters Monday at Busch Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander continues to make steady progress toward a return to action after receiving clearance to resume baseball activities, with his most recent accomplishment a bullpen session Saturday. Martinez's next step will be determined by how well he recovers from Monday's session, and there continues to be talk the veteran could re-start his season in a relief role in order to get him back into action quicker.

Martinez (illness) threw a bullpen session as scheduled Thursday, but his exact plan for activation is still in process, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander is in the process of building his arm back up after overcoming a bout with coronavirus, and in an effort to speed up his return, Rogers reports the Cardinals could initially reintegrate him as a reliever. Martinez notably enjoyed considerable success while serving as a closer in the second half of the 2019 campaign, and he could conceivably fill a number of bullpen roles temporarily upon activation.

Martinez (illness) is expected to throw a bullpen session Thursday, at which point the Cardinals will have more of an expected timeline for his return, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander recently officially confirmed he's been sidelined with the coronavirus, and he, along with several other teammates that were also infected in the team's recent outbreak, all appear to be working their way back to full health. How well Martinez's arm tolerates Thursday's workload should help clarify his approximate return date, and Goold notes it's possible the veteran, who was effective as a closer last season, logs some initial appearances as a reliever while his arm is built back up.

Martinez (undisclosed) was cleared to resume baseball activities Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 4 for an undisclosed reason, but Mark Saxon of The Athletic relayed Monday that the right-hander was among the slew of Cardinals players who tested positive for the coronavirus. Now that he's completed a quarantine and is testing negative for COVID-19, Martinez will now begin ramping up at the Cardinals' alternate training site. It's unclear what shape the right-hander is in, and the length of his throwing program before returning to the rotation hasn't been determined yet.

Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The Cardinals gave no reasoning for placing Martinez on the injured list, but the transaction comes as the team deals with a COVID-19 outbreak among several players and staff members. It's unclear how much time the right-hander will miss, and a replacement for his spot in the rotation hasn't been named. John Gant, Austin Gomber and Jake Woodford have past experience as starters and could be candidates to take Martinez's place.

Martinez (0-1) took the loss Tuesday as the Cardinals were dropped 6-3 by the Twins, surrendering six runs on seven hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Two of the hits off Martinez left the yard, including the Josh Donaldson blast in the fourth inning that chased him from the game. The right-hander threw 73 pitches (49 strikes) so he at least got a decent workload in, but the performance wasn't exactly a vote of confidence in the decision to keep Martinez in the rotation rather than move him back into the bullpen.

Martinez will start Tuesday's game on the road against the Twins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martinez was dominant in his final tuneup in an exhibition game against the Royals. The right-hander will rejoin the Cardinals' rotation after serving as the closer last season, when he converted 24 of 27 save chances with a 3.17 ERA over 48.1 innings.

Martinez fired four innings in an exhibition victory over the Royals on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

Martinez came on in relief of Miles Mikolas in what he expects to be his last appearance out of the bullpen in 2020 if all goes as planned. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports that after the game, the newly minted rotation member expressed anticipation about his long-awaited return to starting following his stint as a closer in the latter portion of last season. "I got a lot of experience from the last two years," Martinez said. "I was a little bit frustrated because I was hurt, but that gave me good experience to be positive. And now I feel like I'm mature, the great guy to be healthy and the great guy to help the team and be focused for the whole season."

Martinez will begin the season as the fifth starter in the Cardinals rotation, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martinez and Miles Mikolas will round out the bottom of the St. Louis starting rotation to begin the 2020 campaign. Kwang-Hyun Kim will move to the bullpen and likely serve as the closer while Giovanny Gallegos (undisclosed) remains on the 10-day IL. Martinez earned high praise from manager Mike Shildt earlier during summer camp for earning every opportunity to be in the starting rotation. The 28-year-old is coming off his seventh season with the Cardinals, after notching 24 saves while posting a 3.17 ERA and 53:18 K:BB across 48.1 innings in 2019.