Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez made his major-league debut Friday, but it came out of the bullpen.
As Scott White outlined recently, Martinez has been one of the best starting pitching prospects in the minors. Based on his first two appearances with the Cardinals, it looks like Martinez will be used strictly as a short appearance reliever. Martinez did make three starts in the minors this season, and was building up arm strength after missing spring training. While his future is likely in the club's rotation, it doesn't look like he'll be utilized in that role this year. Martinez probably can go multiple innings out of the team's bullpen, but it's unclear if Mike Matheny is willing to let that happen.
Martinez's strong velocity and propensity for strikeouts should make him a useful relief pitcher. But he won't have much Fantasy value unless he moves to the starting rotation. That doesn't seem likely given the team's current needs.