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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Out with elbow injury
Rotowire
Martin was placed on the 7-day injured list Wednesday at Double-A Wichita after hurting his left elbow diving for a ball, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Martin entered the season as one of Minnesota's top prospects, but he's been underwhelming by hitting .240/.371/.296 with one home run and 22 stolen bases. Martin's elbow injury isn't expected to be a long-term issue.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Struggling with bat
Rotowire
Martin has gone just 10-for-48 (.208) with one extra-base hit (a double), two steals and a 5:14 BB:K over his last 16 games for Double-A Wichita. He's slashing .247/.371/.316 with one homer and 22 steals on the season.
The good news for Martin is that he's drawing walks at a solid clip and limiting his strikeouts while running surprisingly effectively. The bad news, of course, is that he's hitting the ball with precious little authority. Even while he's warmed up a bit lately, posting a five-game hitting streak, it's been all singles. Widely considered the best pure hitter in the 2020 draft class, Martin hasn't really lived up to that billing yet in the pros. Considering that he's a college bat who's now 23 years old, the clock is ticking for him to start performing up to expectations. If he doesn't turn things around this season, his prospect status will take a major hit.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Heating up in May
Rotowire
Martin went 2-for-6 with a home run and stolen base in a doubleheader Sunday for Double-A Wichita. He's hitting .242 with a .713 OPS with 14 stolen bases. Martin was off to a slow start but is hitting .263 with an .865 OPS with a home run in May.
He's displaying his usual strong command of the strike zone with a 13.6% walk rate and 13.7% strikeout rate. His 13 steals are a bit of a surprise. He's been seen as an above-average runner (14-for-18 on stolen-base attempts in 93 games last season), but it may become a bigger part of his game.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Sent to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Martin was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Martin served as a non-roster invitee early in spring training, and he went 3-for-9 with a homer, four runs, two walks and five strikeouts across five Grapefruit League appearances. The 23-year-old finished the 2021 season at Double-A Wichita after being traded to Minnesota at the deadline, and he'll likely begin the 2022 campaign in Wichita or at Triple-A St. Paul.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: To focus on center field
Rotowire
The Twins view Martin as a center fielder but aren't ruling out a return to the infield, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Martin was traded to the Twins last week in the Jose Berrios deal. He's split his time between shortstop and center field at Double-A Portland, but it looks like he'll play center field for Double-A Wichita. The Twins have told Martin they plan to improve his arm strength, as he's seen as having a below-average arm in the outfield. It's also possible that Martin develops into a multi-position player. His bat should play at either position, as he's hitting .281/.424/.383 with a pair of homers and nine steals in 55 games. He needs to show more power, but his on-base skills are already elite.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Moves to Minnesota
Rotowire
Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson were traded from Toronto to Minnesota on Friday in exchange for Jose Berrios, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The Twins wind up with a strong return in exchange for a year and a half of the best remaining starter thought to be on the market. Martin, the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, comes with plenty of potential for both Minnesota and fantasy teams. He doesn't have an obvious position and doesn't have any one elite skill, but he should do enough of everything to be quite a useful player. He made his professional debut at the Double-A level this season, splitting time between shortstop (where he may not have the arm to stick) and center field and hitting .281/.424/.383 with a pair of homers and nine steals in 55 games.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Reaches base twice in Futures Game
Rotowire
Martin recorded a base hit and a walk in his two plate appearances Sunday in the American League squad's 8-3 loss to the National League in the 2021 All-Star Futures Game.
After a brief stint on the injured list in late June and early July, Martin returned to action for six games at Triple-A Buffalo before heading to Colorado for the Futures Game. Martin was able to make an impact off the bench for the AL side, allowing him to return to Triple-A with some momentum. The 22-year-old is slashing .273/.394/.379 with two home runs and five stolen bases across 198 plate appearances in his first professional season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Huge day at Double-A
Rotowire
Martin went 5-for-6 with two doubles, two runs, a stolen base and four RBI on Saturday in Double-A New Hampshire's 15-2 win over Hartford.
Martin extended his hitting streak to 10 games while reaching base a season-high five times on the day. The 2020 first-round pick has faced little resistance from Double-A pitching thus far during his first professional campaign, slashing .295/.403/.426 with two home runs and three stolen bases across 154 plate appearances. A promotion to Triple-A Buffalo could be in the forecast for Martin later in the summer.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Will play both SS, CF
Rotowire
Martin will split his time between shortstop and center field for Double-A New Hampshire, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
The Jays want to continue the 22-year-old's development at short, but with Jordan Groshans on the Fisher Cats as well, Martin will shift to center when Groshans is at the six. It's not yet clear what Martin's long-term defensive home will be, if he even has one, but at the very least, this suggests the organization isn't sold on Bo Bichette sticking at shortstop in the long term.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Opening year at Double-A
Rotowire
Martin will begin the season at Double-A New Hampshire, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The canceled minor-league season last year meant Martin didn't get to make his professional debut in 2020 after being selected as the fifth overall pick. He's quite an advanced hitter despite his lack of professional experience, however, so he'll begin his career just two steps away from the big leagues. It may take a special level of performance for him to make his major-league debut this season, but he's on track to push for his first call-up in 2022.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Retreats to minor-league camp
Rotowire
The Blue Jays reassigned Martin to their minor-league camp Thursday.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Martin is still awaiting his debut in affiliated ball following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season. The toolsy 21-year-old received a look at big-league camp and saw action in 10 Grapefruit League games for the Jays, going 1-for-8 with four walks and two stolen bases. Toronto has yet to settle on whether to develop Martin as a center fielder or an infielder over the long term, but his ability to fit in comfortably at multiple defensive spots could actually accelerate his big-league timeline. Before a promotion is considered, however, Martin will likely have to prove he can handle the upper levels of the minors.
