On Friday, October 30, it was revealed by multiple reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have outrighted Rudy Martin Jr. to AAA Buffalo.
What wasn’t publicly announced is the fact that Martin Jr. has been booted off the Blue Jays roster, which drops Toronto’s 40-man roster to 38 players. Be on the lookout for a pair of roster moves here in the next couple of days.
However, the point remains that Rudy Martin Jr., a 30-year-old outfielder, has been cut by the Blue Jays.
MLBTR.com’s Mark Polishuk wrote (about the roster cut):
“It hadn’t been made public that Martin had been designated for assignment, but the outfielder has now been removed from the Jays’ 40-man roster. This drops Toronto’s roster down to 38 players, which gives the Blue Jays some extra space to make some acquisitions in advance of Monday’s deadline for 40-man roster compliance. Some other teams have way more than 40 players, leaving the Jays in position to swing some trades or make some waiver claims.”
Now, in regard to Rudy Martin Jr.’s future, he has the option to elect free agency, but has not decided on that part just yet, according to MLB’s transactions log.
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Rudy Martin Jr.’s Tenure with the Blue Jays
Rudy Martin Jr. was claimed off waivers in late July after being cut by the Baltimore Orioles.
He had been cut once before by the Blue Jays this season, but eventually had his contract selected by the team in early September.
2026 marked the first season that Martin Jr. had appeared in an MLB game (MLB debut), and he logged 3 plate appearances over two games played. He did not record a hit, but did walk one time.
He’s an MLB veteran of 11 pro seasons (mostly in the minors), and is known for his speed on the bases, which is what led to him finally making his MLB debut in early September.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Rudy Martin Jr. wants to remain within the Blue Jays organization or take a leap of faith and try to latch onto another MLB club via a minor-league deal.
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Toronto Blue Jays Quietly Cut 30-Year-Old Outfielder After World Series