Speedy, versatile outfielder returns to KC Royals organization

Rudy Martin has traveled many a baseball road since the Kansas City Royals chose him in the 25th round of the 2014 amateur draft. But unlike the journeys of Brandon Finnegan, Ryan O'Hearn, Tim Hill, and Scott Blewett, all of whom the Royals also picked in that draft, Martin's never ended at Kauffman Stadium. Instead, he bounced around the organization until 2022, when minor league free agency took him to the Washington Nationals' system before he tried his hand at independent ball and the Mexican League.

As of Tuesday, however, Martin is back where for him it all started — now 29 and a well-traveled veteran of over a dozen professional stops, Martin has signed a minor league deal with the Royals. He'll resume his career in the organization at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, on whose roster he already appears.

That the Royals would welcome Martin back isn't too surprising.

Speedy outfielder Rudy Martin returns to the KC Royals

Sticking so long with Martin, who made his professional debut in 2015 as a member of Kansas City's Arizona-based and Idaho Falls rookie clubs, suggests he may have remained on the franchise's radar after he left following the 2021 campaign. And on that radar he was Tuesday when, just a day after the Mexican League's Toros de Tijuana let him go, the Royals brought him back into their fold. Martin was slashing .316/.458/.421 with 10 stolen bases in 11 games for the Tijuana club.

Perhaps that performance reminded the Royals of other fine efforts he gave their minor league teams. He hit .331 with a .469 OBP and .994 OPS — and stole 31 bases — in the rookie season he split between Arizona and Idaho Falls, slashed .277/.365/.403 with 26 steals for KC's former Lexington Class-A affiliate in 2017, and posted a stellar .389 OBP, respectable .267 average, and stole 21 bases while splitting the 2021 campaign between Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha (he shared some fine moments with Bobby Witt Jr. as a Storm Chaser).

But Martin chose to move on from the Royals and signed a free agent contract with Washington not long before spring training camps opened in 2022. Hampered by injury, he played 51 games between the organization's Double-A, High-A, and Florida Complex League affiliates and hit only .236. Martin switched to independent ball for 2023 and 2024 and slashed .326/.427/.495 with 78 steals in 112 games for York last season.

Two things, then, stand out when it comes to Martin's offensive skills — as his career minor league .351 OBP and 155 steals prove, he knows how to get on base, and is more than formidable on the basepaths.

The left-handed batter and thrower is also versatile, splitting his time in the outfield almost evenly between left, center, and right during his seven minor league campaigns. So, he brings some speed and versatility to an organization that places premiums on both.

Could Rudy Martin's signing signal another move for the KC Royals?

Some are bound to speculate that signing Martin and immediately assigning him to Northwest Arkansas paves at least part of the way for the Royals to bump Naturals first baseman-outfielder Jac Caglianone, their No. 1 prospect, up to Omaha. But in light of general manager J.J. Picollo's recent suggestions that the Royals aren't fast-tracking their young phenom, that seems unlikely. More probable is that the club wants more outfield options.