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When is Orelvis Martinez getting called up? Will Martinez play in May of this MLB season? Read about Orelvis Martinez’s debut date and fantasy baseball prospect updates for 2024.
We've seen loads of minor league players called up to the big leagues this season, including Jackson Holliday, Joey Loperfido, Tyler Black, Paul Skenes, and more. Some like Loperfido have seen instant success and stuck, but others like Holliday and Black struggled only to be sent back down for more seasoning.
What about Orelvis Martinez of the Toronto Blue Jays? Will we be seeing him in Toronto anytime soon?
With the Blue Jays averaging the second-worst runs per game in the league, it feels like Martinez's call-up should have taken place by now, so why hasn't it? There must be reasons, let’s see if we can identify why he hasn't gotten the call and when he might see his chance in the big leagues.
Orelvis Martinez Prospect Update for Fantasy Baseball
Martinez came out of the gates hitting, with at least one hit in 19 of his first 21 games (.325 BA), including a 15-game hit streak. He didn't hit his first home run until the 12th game of the season, but since that first one, the 22-year-old has gone deep a total of 11 times in just a 30-game span. This isn't something new, Martinez is known for his power, belting 28 home runs or more each of the last three seasons prior to 2024. Last season it took him 209 Triple-A at-bats to hit 11 homers, this year he's got that many in 152 ABs (113 if you start the clock at his first one in '24).
Orelvis Martinez's 11th homer of the season is a no-doubter!
MLB's No. 70 prospect (@BlueJays) hammers this one 422 feet at 106.6 mph for the @BuffaloBisons: pic.twitter.com/5xFbGY1Epv
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 21, 2024
But can he hit major league pitching? We won't know for sure until he sees it, but he did rip an RBI single off of arguably the most anticipated pitching prospect in years in Paul Skenes earlier this season. Skenes has since been called up and already showed flashes of dominance. So why hasn't Martinez been called up? Well, it's worth pointing out that he finally went cold towards the end of the first week of May. Since May 8th, the right-handed slugger has gone a dreadful 2-for-35 (.057), although both of those hits were home runs.
But that doesn't explain why he wasn't called up when he was red hot. So what is it? Most will point to his defense as the reason. First, because he's blocked at his primary position, and second, because of how poor he's been defensively. His primary position was shortstop, but he's blocked at the big-league level by Bo Bichette. So he's also played third throughout his minor league career and in 2023 began getting starts at second base.
Second and third base has been held down by some combination of Cavan Biggio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa (IKF), Ernie Clement, and Davis Schneider. Biggio is a better defender who can play multiple positions, but after Biggio's hot start to the season where he hit .304 over his first 14 games, he's reverted to the Biggio we all know, hitting .089 over his last 19 games. IKF has a 75 wRC+ on the season. Schneider might have comparable pop to Martinez but is not the future at 25 years old. Clement has far less pop than Martinez.
Martinez has 11 errors at second base over just 28 games in 2024, which is likely what is holding him back. So put him at designated hitter you say? Justin Turner was filling in admirably there to begin the season, but since April 30 the 39-year-old is 4-for-51 (.078). Martinez couldn't possibly hit worse than that (technically it's possible, but not probable).
Another prospect that has been hot also has yet to be called up, the Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero (who did get a brief MLB debut in 2023). You could argue the Rays don't want to rush the 20-year-old, but Martinez comparatively is 22. With a sputtering offense, the Blue Jays are in last place in the AL East and have officially run out of excuses for not bringing up Martinez whether they care to compete or not. At least see what you have in Martinez at the big-league level.
Orelvis Martinez Outlook for Fantasy Baseball
As mentioned, the Jays are nearly last in all of baseball in terms of runs per game and are quickly losing ground in the competitive AL East. This is certainly a team that could use a spark of offense. Granted, Martinez is not hot over the last couple weeks which has probably delayed his promotion somewhat, but at some point he will be called upon, whether it is due to injury, trade, or the Jays realizing they need some offense.
By now you know that the 22-year-old can hit for power, and while he's never hit for a particularly high average in the minors (career .239), he's lowered his strikeout rate this season to 21.6% (down from 26.8% at Triple-A in '23). He's also had at least an 8.0% BB% at every stop in the minors along with a career .327 OBP. Managers in need of home runs should keep a close eye on the slugger, as it might just be another hot streak that forces the Jays' hand. Per Eric Cross's most recent stash list, Martinez has a projected ETA of June, which sounds about right. Stash if you have the room to do so.
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