Toronto Blue Jays Roster: Team Brings Back Feel Good Story From 2026

After recently being designated for assignment and outrighted, Rudy Martin Jr. is back with the Toronto Blue Jays.

On Thursday, reports indicated that the two sides have come to an agreement on a minor league deal.

An outfielder from Memphis, Tenn., Martin is now 30 years old.

Drafted in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Martin was a career minor leaguer until this year. Having spent most of his minor league time with the team that drafted him, the Kansas City Royals, he's a lifetime .252 hitter with 50 homers and 239 stolen bases. He missed the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't play affiliated ball in 2023 or 2024, but he made his way back in 2025 with the Royals again. 

This past season, he played with three separate minor league teams: Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Royals), Triple-A Omaha (Royals) and Triple-A Buffalo (Blue Jays).

In 91 total games this year, he hit .274 with 11 homers, 40 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. 

The Blue Jays eventually called him up in September of this year for his first major league action. He drew a walk, playing in two games. Even though the Blue Jays were fighting for a playoff spot down the stretch, Martin's promotion represented one of the best feel-good moments of the season.

Well, as the Blue Jays learned in 2026, you can never have too much depth. Toronto was one of the most injured teams in the league, and those injuries impacted them at every positional group.

Heading into 2027, Martin doesn't seem to have much of a chance to make an impact, as Brett Bateman, Addison Barger, and Nathan Lukes are all ahead of him on the depth chart, and that doesn't even figure in Anthony Santander or any one that the Blue Jays may sign in free agency.

Martin is a left-handed hitter, as are the three previous outfielders mentioned. The biggest need in free agency is a right-handed hitter like Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena.

But again, injuries can change the calculus for everyone.

There's not too much report right now. Free agency officially opened on Nov. 2 and nothing has happened around the league yet. The general managers meetings take place from Nov. 9-12 in Las Vegas, and that's really the first chance that agents and GMs will have a chance to engage on deals.