The Blue Jays announced that Rudy Martin Jr. has been outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo after clearing waivers. Since Martin has been outrighted in the past, he has the ability to reject the assignment and opt for free agency.
It hadn’t been made public that Martin had been designated for assignment, but the outfielder has now been removed from the Jays’ 40-man roster. This drops Toronto’s roster down to 38 players, which gives the Blue Jays some extra space to make some acquisitions in advance of Monday’s deadline for 40-man roster compliance. Some other teams have way more than 40 players, leaving the Jays in position to swing some trades or make some waiver claims.
Martin is a veteran of 11 pro seasons, spent mostly in the Royals’ farm system but also with stints in the Nationals’ minor league ranks, and stops in independent ball and the Mexican League. He was also briefly a member of the Orioles’ organization after being acquired from Kansas City in July, but Martin never actually played for the O’s, as he was quickly DFA’ed and then claimed by the Jays within a week of leaving the Royals.
The 30-year-old was then again designated and outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man after clearing waivers, but Martin’s time finally came in September. The Blue Jays selected his contract to the active roster and Martin appeared in two games in a Toronto uniform, finally making him a Major League player. After debuting as a late-game pinch-runner, Martin started in left field the next day and drew a walk in his three plate appearances.
Martin has hit .246/.342/.406 over 411 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, with 32 steals in 37 attempts plus 14 home runs. Speed and his ability to play all three outfield positions has been Martin’s calling card over his career, so whether he stays with Triple-A Buffalo or opts for free agency, he’s an interesting depth piece for teams (like the Jays) looking for outfield help this winter.