Blue Jays, Rudy Martin Jr. Agree To Minor League Deal

The Blue Jays are bringing speedy outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. back on a minor league contract, Ari Alexander of 7News reports. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee ahead of the 2027 season. Toronto originally acquired Martin, 30, on waivers from the Orioles in August. He’d previously been with the Royals but gone to Baltimore in exchange for cash. The well-traveled minor league veteran made his big league debut with Toronto late in September but only tallied three plate appearances. He didn’t notch his first MLB hit but did draw a walk during those three trips. The Jays removed Martin from the 40-man roster last week, after which he elected free agency, but he’s now back with the organization as a depth option. Martin spent the bulk of the 2026 season in Triple-A, tallying 369 minor league plate appearances between the Royals and Jays organizations. He posted a combined .274/.394/.421 (119 wRC+) between those two clubs. Martin homered 11 times and swiped 45 bags in 53 attempts (84.9% success rate). It’s been more than 12 years since the Royals drafted Martin in the 25th round out of Lewisburg High School in Missouri. He’s a career .252/.358/.387 hitter with 239 steals in nearly 2500 minor league plate appearances. Beyond his time in the Royals, Blue Jays and (very briefly) Orioles organizations, Martin has spent minor league time with the Nationals and played in independent leagues and foreign leagues. He spent the 2023 season with the American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen and the 2024 season with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He’s also played winter ball in Mexico and played in a handful of games with los Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League during the 2025 campaign. Combining his minor league numbers, his indie ball stints and his time in Mexico, Martin has played 931 professional games and totaled 3775 professional plate appearances — all with the goal of eventually stepping to the plate in a major league game. He flirted with that opportunity during his brief time as an Oriole and, hopefully, will at long last get that chance as a member of the Blue Jays after a 12-year grind through pro ball. View Comments (4)