At long last, Rudy Martin appears headed to the big leagues.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the Toronto Blue Jays are calling up the speedy outfielder from Triple-A Buffalo after 12 seasons in the minor leagues.
Martin, 30, joined the Blue Jays organization earlier this season after Toronto claimed him off of waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on July 23rd. He was designated for assignment by the Orioles just days after they had acquired him in a trade with the Kansas City Royals.
The Blue Jays sent Martin to Triple-A, but would DFA him on Aug. 7 to make room for Brett Bateman’s spot on the 40-man roster.
Martin would clear however, and was then outrighted to Buffalo on Aug. 10, where he has slashed .253/.351/.379 with 11 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 27 games played.
The 5-foot-8, 115-pound left-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Royals with the 753rd overall selection (25th round) in the 2014 draft.
He would go onto spend seven years at various levels throughout the Royals’ minor-league systems, before electing free agency in 2022 to sign a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals.
Martin made 51 appearances that season between rookie ball, High-A, and Double-A with the Nationals before being released in Aug. 2022.
The Memphis native then played for a pair of Independent League teams for the next two years, before heading to Mexico to join the Toros de Tijauana. He impressed with a .316/.458/.421 slash line with 10 stolen bases in 11 games, earning himself a return to organized baseball with the Royals in May 2025.
Martin has played in over 600 games at the minor-league level between the Royals, Nationals, Orioles, and Blue Jays organizations, and is now in line to make his big league debut 12 years after being drafted.
