Former Royals prospect keeps his MLB dream alive with Blue Jays 

Although he may not be a household name like Zion Rose or Angeibel Gomez, former Kansas City Royals prospect Rudy Martin Jr. is the type of player that can make a fan out of just about anybody. After toiling away in the minor leagues and independent ball for well over a decade, the speedy outfielder finally got his first cup of coffee in the Majors with the Toronto Blue Jays this past September. At 30 years old, he was the 10th-oldest player to make his MLB debut in 2026. 

According to Ari Alexander of 7News, the Blue Jays have re-signed Martin to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The move doesn’t guarantee Martin Jr. another chance to play in the Majors, but it does keep his dream alive for yet another year. For someone who has played as long as Martin Jr., that is quite the determination.   

Making it as a professional baseball player is no easy task. Plenty of former first-round picks have flamed out in the minor leagues before ever getting their shot in the Majors. For players like Martin Jr., the path to the big leagues can be even more difficult. As a 25th-round selection of the Kansas City Royals in 2014, Martin Jr. was already facing extreme odds to ever get his chance. 

While he never got to make his MLB debut in Kansas City, you can bet that there are still plenty of Royals fans who have been keeping track of his progress after all these years. 

The Royals never had a need for a player like Rudy Martin Jr. on their roster

Martin Jr. actually got off to a torrid start in his first minor league season for the Royals in 2015. He boasted a .331/.469/.525 slash line in 139 at-bats in rookie ball. With above-average speed and what looked to be a high-contact swing, Martin Jr. appeared to be quite the find for the Royals in the 25th round. 

Unfortunately, he was never really able to recapture the level of success he experienced in his debut season throughout the rest of his career in the Royals organization. In 2021, his .822 OPS and 11 home runs in 277 at-bats across two minor league levels just weren’t enough to move the needle. Martin Jr. elected to test free agency in the offseason, signing with the Washington Nationals in January 2022. 

Following a disappointing performance in the 2022 season, Martin Jr. was released by the Nats after just 51 games played. He would spend the next few seasons jumping around independent ball, playing for teams like the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association and the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. 

After rejoining the Royals organization in 2025, Martin Jr. played well enough over the next season and a half to land on the Blue Jays’ radar. Just not well enough to find a place in a struggling Royals outfield this past season. Following an uneventful and extremely brief pit stop with the Baltimore Orioles organization, Martin Jr. was claimed off waivers by Toronto. That’s the kind of pure determination and love of the game that a player needs to keep their MLB dream still kicking. 

Martin Jr. made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays on September 11. He got his first and only career start the following day against the Orioles, going 0-3 with a walk. A hamstring strain would unceremoniously cut his time in the MLB short and end his season. But that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. After 12 years, Martin Jr. could finally say that he was a big leaguer. Not every person who has played the game of baseball can say that.  

“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.”    

With a minor contract in hand, Martin Jr. has an opportunity to continue his MLB career in 2027. But just like his entire time in pro ball, it’s not going to be easy. But if Martin Jr. has proven anything over his lengthy baseball career, it's that he's willing to try.  

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