Baltimore Orioles Acquire Minor-League Outfielder From Kansas City Royals
· Yahoo Sports
The Baltimore Orioles shored up their minor-league depth, having acquired outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. from the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Meanwhile, right-hander Chris Bassitt will head to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding transaction.
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The trade comes following the 30-year-old's decision to trigger the upward mobility clause in his contract on Tuesday, forcing the Royals to decide whether they wish to keep him on their 40-man roster or ship him off to another team like Baltimore.
Martin Jr. was drafted 753rd overall by Kansas City in 2014 out of his native Mississippi yet he never earned a shot at the major leagues. As a result, he would attempt to prove himself in stints with the Washington Nationals and Mexican league.
For the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 2022, he batted .225 while tallying 32 hits, 10 RBI and four home runs. In May 2025, he would rejoin Kansas City on a minor-league deal.
Prior to landing with Baltimore, he was promoted to the Royals' Triple-A affiliate in June after batting .261 while recording 43 hits, 24 RBI and six home runs in Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
He showed flashes of greater potential in Omaha, hitting .385 and logging 15 hits, five RBI and two home runs in 15 games of action.
However, Martin Jr. knew that if he wanted to get closer to every prospect's dream of reaching the big leagues, he not only needed to play like it but also advocate for it. He did just that by exercising the clause that would help him most.
The Orioles announced a minor league trade for OF Rudy Martin, sending cash to the Royals for him
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 18, 2026
Martin exercised his upward mobility clause, so the O’s traded for him, added him to their 40-man & optioned him to Norfolk
To make space, they moved Chris Bassitt to the 60-day IL
Even as an Oriole, Martin Jr. still has a long way to go at cracking the majors in an already crowded outfielder room consisting of veteran Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Leody Taveras, Tyler O'Neill and Jeremiah Jackson.
Furthermore, he would also have to demonstrate his ability to stand out among fellow minor-leaguers Heston Kjerstad, Reed Trimble and Johnathan Rodríguez in Triple-A Norfolk.
As the MLB trade deadline nears though, a Ward trade is possible with certain contending clubs needing an extra bat. Should that come to fruition, Martin Jr. could see a glimmer of hope as the second half of the season continues.
Following yesterday's 3-2 win over the Houston Astros, the Orioles have won five-straight games and are only two games back of the final AL wild card spot while holding a 1.5-game advantage in the AL East over the fifth-place Toronto Blue Jays.