Martin went 1-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's loss to Detroit. He has a seven-game hitting streak and is 9-for-28 over that span.
Martin is hitting .268 with a .758 OPS in 15 games this season. While that's not an overly impressive line, it still stands out amid a struggling Twins lineup. Martin may have an everyday role in left field while he's hot.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Martin is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.
Martin has a modest five-game hit streak going but will head to the bench for Friday's contest. Trevor Larnach will take over in left field and bat cleanup in the series opener versus Detroit.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Back in lineup Wednesday
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Martin will start in center field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.
Martin saw his streak of eight consecutive starts come to an end in Tuesday's 11-3 loss to the Orioles, but he'll be back in the lineup for the series finale in Baltimore and will be flanked in the outfield by Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff while Byron Buxton serves as the team's designated hitter. Buxton should continue to start in center field more often than not, but Martin could continue to hold an edge in playing time in left field over Larnach, who was called up from Triple-A St. Paul earlier this week. Martin will take a four-game hitting streak into Wednesday's contest.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Notches first career hit
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Martin went 2-for-3 with two doubles in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Dodgers.
Martin was able to rip a Tyler Glasnow curveball into right field in the bottom of the third inning, notching a double for his first career major-league hit. He later added another double in sixth frame, accounting for two of the team's three total hits off of Glasnow. The outfielder has found it hard to get regular playing time this season, but a performance like Tuesday's certainly helps his case.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Gets first career start
Rotowire
Martin is in the lineup Sunday against the Twins for his first career start.
Martin was promoted from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday after Royce Lewis (leg) landed on the IL. In his first call-up to the majors, he is starting in center field and batting ninth. With the 24-year-old taking center field Sunday, Byron Buxton will be the designated hitter.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Called up from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Twins will promote Martin from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
The move corresponds with the Twins placing Royce Lewis (leg) on the IL. It'll be the first time Martin has been called up to the majors, and he is expected to add depth at second base and in the outfield. He slashed .208/.321/.250 with two RBI and three walks over 24 at-bats in spring training.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
The Twins optioned Martin to Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.
Martin might have had a shot at a reserve role prior to the Manuel Margot trade, but not so much after it. He should still have a chance to debut in 2024 but will report to St. Paul for now.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Back in lineup Thursday
Rotowire
Martin (illness) is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Twins on Thursday versus Atlanta in his return to the Grapefruit League lineup.
Martin didn't play Wednesday because he was under the weather but is back in there a day later. The versatile 24-year-old is expected to open the season back in the minors but has a good shot to debut at some point in 2024.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Sitting Wednesday with illness
Rotowire
Martin was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles due to an illness, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old had been in line to appear in his third spring training game, but the Twins opted to give Martin the day off instead while he was under the weather. Emmanuel Rodriguez was a late addition to the lineup and will start in center field and bat eighth in Martin's stead.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Getting time in outfield
Rotowire
Martin started in center field and went 1-for-3 in Monday's spring training loss to the Yankees. He's 2-for-5 in two games this spring.
After Marin worked exclusively with the infielders early in the spring (he primarily played second base last year at Triple-A), it's notable he played his first two spring training games in the outfield. Martin was seen as a dark horse candidate to win the backup center field role entering spring training, but he's likely ticketed for Triple-A again after the Twins acquired Manuel Margot.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Working with infielders
Rotowire
Martin is not moving to a full-time outfield role, manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Martin has only worked as an infielder at the start of camp, but the Twins plan to play him in the outfield this spring as well.
Martin didn't make his Triple-A debut until July 3 after missing the first three months of the season while recovering from a UCL sprain in his elbow. He put up a decent, if unspectacular, .791 OPS with six homers and 16 steals over 59 games for Triple-A St. Paul. Martin could be a candidate to be a reserve center field option to begin the season if the Twins don't sign a veteran. However, this news could be seen as Minnesota not looking at him as a viable option in the outfield in the near term, though position flexibility could provide him multiple paths to reach the majors this season. He'll likely begin the season at Triple-A.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Nabs spot on 40-man
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The Twins selected Martin to their 40-man roster Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Martin was acquired from the Blue Jays in 2021 as part of the Jose Berrios trade. He missed a lot of time in 2023 due to a UCL sprain in his right elbow, but the defensively versatile 24-year-old put up a decent .791 OPS with six homers and 16 steals over 59 games for Triple-A St. Paul following his return to action in June.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Heating up at Triple-A
Rotowire
Martin went 2-for-4 with a stolen base Friday for Triple-A St. Paul. He's hitting .324 with an .848 OPS and nine stolen bases at Triple-A since July 14.
Martin didn't make his Triple-A debut until July 3 after missing the first three months of the season while recovering from a UCL sprain in his elbow. He's heating up at the plate after a slow start and is putting himself in contention for a September call-up.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Moves past foot injury
Rotowire
Martin (foot) returned to Triple-A St. Paul's lineup Friday and started in each of the team's last three games, going 5-for-12 with a home run, a stolen base, three runs and two RBI.
Martin was removed from St. Paul's game against Toledo last Tuesday due to a foot injury, but he needed just two days off to heal up before returning to action for the final three contests of the series. The 24-year-old has struggled to stay on the field thus far in 2023, as he didn't make his Triple-A debut until July 3 after missing the first three months of the season while recovering from a UCL sprain in his elbow. Over 19 games with St. Paul, Martin is slashing .217/.295/.304 with one home run and three stolen bases across 79 plate appearances.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Exits with apparent foot injury
Rotowire
Martin left Tuesday's game for Triple-A St. Paul in the fifth inning with an apparent foot injury, TwinsDaily.com reports.
Martin returned in early July after he was sidelined since spring training with a sprained ligament in his right elbow. He was off to a slow start at Triple-A, hitting just .175 with a .501 OPS in 16 games.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Returns from elbow injury
Rotowire
Martin (elbow) has been activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul. He went 0-3 with a walk in Monday's game.
Martin played second base Monday but also played in the outfield during his rehab. Martin had been on the shelf since sustaining a sprained ligament in his right elbow during spring training.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Starting rehab assignment
Rotowire
Martin (elbow) is beginning a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Twins on Monday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Martin has been on the shelf since sustaining a sprained ligament in his right elbow during spring training. The 24-year-old should eventually be assigned to Triple-A St. Paul once the Twins feel he's ready.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Placed on IL at Triple-A
Rotowire
Martin (elbow) has been placed on the 7-day injured list to begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul.
Martin suffered a UCL sprain in his right elbow in spring training and it's not clear how long he'll be sidelined. Martin largely underwhelmed at Double-A Wichita last year but picked things up late in the season and ended up hitting .235 with two homers, 57 runs, 32 RBI and 34 stolen bases over 90 games.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Shut down with UCL sprain
Rotowire
Martin has been shut down from throwing and hitting due to a UCL sprain in his right elbow, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Martin largely underwhelmed at Double-A Wichita last year but picked things up late in the season and ended up hitting .235 with two homers, 57 runs, 32 RBI and 34 stolen bases over 90 games. It's not yet clear how long his shutdown will last, but he'll be in line for a significant absence if he requires Tommy John surgery.
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Twins' Austin Martin: Having strong AFL campaign
Rotowire
Martin is hitting .380 with a .971 OPS, a home run and 10 stolen bases in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.
The fifth overall pick in 2020 by Toronto was the key return in the Jose Berrios trade and seen by many as one of the top hitting prospects in the majors when traded to the Twins in 2021. However, he took huge step back in 2022 as he hit just .235/.362/.304 at Double-A. His struggles may have been due to an injury, as he missed five weeks in July and August due to a torn UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow, per MLB.com. However, he was struggling even before the injury, especially to produce power. He did have 34 stolen bases, which could make him a fantasy asset with even modest power. Martin has strong on-base skills (12.3 percent walk rate), so his AFL performance could prove his 2022 season was an aberration.
