Rudy Martin Jr. is still chasing the big leagues, and the Toronto Blue Jays are giving him another chance to keep that chase going.
According to Ari Alexander of 7News, Toronto has brought back the former Kansas City Royals prospect on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. It doesn’t promise another shot in the majors, but it does extend the run for a player who has spent more than a decade grinding through minor league and independent ball.
Martin Jr. finally reached the majors with the Blue Jays last September at age 30, making him the 10th-oldest player to debut in 2026. For a player taken in the 25th round by Kansas City in 2014, just getting there was a long climb.
His road started with promise. In 2015, his first minor league season in the Royals system, Martin Jr. put up a .331/.469/.525 slash line in 139 at-bats in rookie ball.
With his speed and what looked like a contact-oriented swing, he looked like a late-round find. But he never quite matched that early burst again in Kansas City’s system.
Even in 2021, when he posted an .822 OPS and 11 home runs in 277 at-bats across two minor league levels, it still wasn’t enough to push him into the Royals’ plans. He hit free agency after that season and signed with the Washington Nationals in January 2022.
That stint didn’t last long. After a disappointing 2022 season, Martin Jr. was released by Washington after 51 games. From there, he kept moving, spending time in independent ball with clubs like the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association and the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.
He returned to the Royals organization in 2025, then later drew Toronto’s attention after a brief and uneventful stop in the Baltimore Orioles organization. The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers, and Martin Jr. made the most of it by finally reaching the majors on September 11. He got his first career start the next day against Baltimore and went 0-for-3 with a walk before a hamstring strain ended his season.
After all that, the moment still meant plenty.
“This means a lot to me,” Martin Jr. said after his call-up. “I have a little brother.
He’s kind of going through the same types of things that I went through. I’m fighting to show him that if I can do it, he can do it, too.
Now, he sees I’m here, and he’ll know he can make it.”
Now, with another minor league deal in place, Martin Jr. has a path to keep his MLB dream alive into 2027. For a player who has already beaten long odds just to get this far, that alone is something.
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