Orioles lose Rudy Martin Jr.

Rudy Martin Jr. is a 30-year-old outfielder in the middle of a breakout 2026 season. He has posted a 1.079 OPS in 15 Triple-A games and owns an .855 OPS overall this season while stealing 33 bases.

The Baltimore Orioles acquired Martin from the Kansas City Royals on July 18, seemingly giving the career minor leaguer his best opportunity yet to finally reach the major leagues.

Instead, Baltimore designated him for assignment just two days later without ever giving him a chance to make his MLB debut. He was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday and has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, meaning he'll now continue his pursuit of a long-awaited first big league appearance in a new organization.