Former Kansas State baseball player Nick Martini’s hard work has paid off in his call-up this week to the Oakland Athletics.
As the Athletics prepared to take on the Royals for a series starting Thursday, Oakland outfielder Matt Joyce was diagnosed with a lumbar strain. Once he was placed on the 10-day disabled list, Martini got the news: He was up to bat.
Since Martini’s departure from the Wildcats in 2011, the 27-year-old outfielder been looking for a break into the big leagues. After bouncing around with some minor-league teams, he joined the Class AAA Nashville Sounds earlier this year.