The Orioles are adding Rudy Martin Jr. from the Royals, according to Ari Alexander of 7 Boston News, and the move will send the outfielder onto Baltimore’s 40-man roster before he’s optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. As is often the case with deals like this, the return to Kansas City is expected to be nominal cash consideration.
For Martin, it’s a notable step in a long professional journey. He’s 30 and has yet to reach the majors, even though his career began more than a decade ago. Kansas City drafted him in the 25th round out of a Mississippi high school in 2014, and his path since then has included time in the Washington system and a stint in the Mexican league before he rejoined the Royals on a minor league contract last year.
That deal came with an upward mobility clause, and Martin triggered it earlier this week. Once that happened, Kansas City had to make him available to the rest of the league, with any club able to put him on its 40-man roster. The Royals could have kept him by adding him themselves, but instead he’s headed to Baltimore.
Martin’s numbers help explain why he drew interest. The 5’8″ outfielder spent most of the season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he hit well, and he’s been even better since moving up to Triple-A in late June.
Across 255 plate appearances, he’s posted a .284/.414/.441 line, drawing walks at a 16.1% clip while striking out 23.5% of the time. He’s also hit eight home runs and swiped 33 bags in 40 attempts.
The roster move gives Martin a first-ever spot on a 40-man roster, a meaningful checkpoint even if it doesn’t ensure a big league debut. Baltimore already has Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson available as outfield choices on the MLB roster, while Heston Kjerstad, Reed Trimble and Johnathan Rodríguez are all on optional assignments in Norfolk.
The Orioles’ 40-man roster is full, and they’ve been one of the busiest teams in baseball when it comes to cycling through those last few spots. Chris Bassitt or Blaze Alexander could be moved to the 60-day injured list, and Baltimore also has several recently acquired depth pieces it could try to pass through waivers to clear room.
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Booths deal also arrived as Baltimore kept rolling on the field, beating the Astros to stretch its winning streak to five and adding outfielder Rudy Martin from the Royals for cash considerations. The Martin move gives the Orioles another name to sort through in the system, while Booths signing closes the loop on the drafts biggest piece and leaves the next question centered on how quickly he fits into the clubs long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]
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Andrew Kittredge is another name to watch, though the return would likely be modest even with relievers always in demand. At the same time, several Orioles are effectively off the board because of injuries or contract situations, which narrows the clubs options and adds another layer to a deadline picture that already feels more complicated than many around the team expected. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Draft Just Put Two Outfielders On Notice
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For a system that has spent years trying to sort out which outfielders can actually hit enough to matter, the new crop only sharpens the pressure on the names already in the pipeline. Cedric Mullins is part of the backdrop, but so are the younger pieces the Orioles have been trying to develop into everyday answers, and the draft only adds more competition to a group still looking for consistency, health and a clearer path to the majors. [Read more 🡒]