Orioles Place Adley Rutschman On IL, Designate Rudy Martin Jr.
The Orioles on Monday placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his left wrist. In a corresponding move, Baltimore selected the contract of backstop Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Norfolk. Recently acquired outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. was designated for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot.
It’s the third IL trip of the season for Rutschman, who’s also missed time due to a concussion and inflammation in his left ankle. This trio of injuries has limited him to 67 games on the season, but the switch-hitting All-Star has been productive when healthy. Rutschman is batting .251/.331/.433 with eight homers, 19 doubles and a triple in 284 turns at the plate. He hasn’t bounced all the way back to the form he showed in his first two major league seasons (.268/.369/.439) but has been a far sight better than he was in 2024-25, when he hit just .240/.314/.382 in 1003 plate appearances.
The O’s haven’t given a definitive timetable on Rutschman’s return. While he’s on the shelf, Samuel Basallo seems likely to get the lion’s share of playing time behind the dish. Either Tromp or Sam Huff, also on Baltimore’s active roster, can also mix in. They’ll proceed with three catchers for the time being.
Tromp, 31, has ping-ponged between the Orioles and Braves on several occasions over the past two seasons. He’s slashed .250/.241/.286 in 30 MLB plate appearances this season and carries a career .225/.232/.375 slash in 208 trips to the batter’s box at the big league level. Tromp’s aggressive, free-swinging approach has left him with a staggeringly low 1.4% walk rate; he’s drawn a base on balls only three times in 80 major league games. That allergic-to-walks approach is always going to limit his offensive production, but he does have a bit of pop in his right-handed swing.
Martin, 30, exercised an upward mobility clause in his minor league contract with the Royals last week, which prompted Kansas City to trade him to Baltimore. Any player who exercises an upward clause must be made available to all 29 other clubs. If a new team is willing to add him to its 40-man roster, the current team must either select him to its own 40-man roster or send him to the team that’s willing to do so. Kansas City chose to send Martin to Baltimore rather than select his contract.
Martin didn’t appear in a major league game during his short time on the Orioles’ 40-man roster. He’s also yet to appear in a Triple-A game with them. In 255 plate appearances with the Royals’ top affiliate in Omaha, the former 25th-round pick hit .284/.414/.441 with eight homers and a 33-for-40 showing on the basepaths. Baltimore will now have a week to trade Martin (again), place him on outright waivers or release him.
Orioles Acquire Rudy Martin Jr. From Royals
10:58pm: The clubs officially announced the trade. Bassitt has been moved to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding 40-man roster move. He has been sidelined since June 5 with a back injury that required minor surgery a few weeks ago. Manager Craig Albernaz said this afternoon that the veteran righty is throwing long toss (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun). The O’s still expect him back this season, but he has yet to begin a rehab assignment and wasn’t going to be ready before the end of July.
7:36pm: The Royals are trading outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. to the Orioles, reports Ari Alexander of 7 Boston News. Baltimore will select him onto the 40-man roster and option him to Triple-A Norfolk. Trades like this usually involve a nominal cash consideration going back in return.
Martin is a 30-year-old who has never appeared in the majors. He began his professional career more than a decade ago. The Royals drafted Martin in the 25th round out of a Mississippi high school in 2014. He spent time in the Washington farm system and in the Mexican league before returning to the Royals on a minor league deal last year.
That contract included an upward mobility clause, which Martin triggered earlier in the week. That meant the Royals had to offer him to the 29 other teams, any of whom could elect to put him on their 40-man roster. Kansas City could then either put him on their 40-man or send him to Baltimore.
The 5’8″ Martin has spent the majority of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He hit well there and has been even better since earning a promotion to Triple-A in late June. Martin has a combined .284/.414/.441 slash line across 255 plate appearances. He has walked at a huge 16.1% clip against a league average 23.5% strikeout rate. Martin has hit eight homers and stolen 33 bases in 40 tries.
That strong production has earned Martin a spot on a 40-man roster for the first time. This doesn’t guarantee that he’ll ever play in the majors but is a significant career milestone in its own right. Baltimore has Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson as outfield options on the MLB roster. Heston Kjerstad, Reed Trimble and Johnathan Rodríguez are all on optional assignments to Norfolk.
The O’s have a full 40-man roster and churn through the final few spots more than any other team. Chris Bassitt or Blaze Alexander could be candidates for a move to the 60-day injured list, though they also have a number of recently acquired depth types they could look to sneak through waivers to open a spot.