J.P.

Martinez

Romero had reported that the two sides had reached an agreement, but it now appears that isn’t the case. The 29-year-old outfielder has been playing for the Saraperos de Saltillo in the independent Mexican League where he has slashed .382/.481/.721 with six homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases in 82 plate appearances. Even if he doesn’t ultimately land a deal with the Orioles, it sounds like Martinez has his eye on a return to affiliated baseball.

Martinez returns stateside after a 17-game stint to open the year in the independent Mexican League. The 29-year-old outfielder last appeared in the majors when he got into seven games last season for Atlanta. He’s merely extra organizational depth at this stage of his career.

The 28-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment on Monday and slid through waivers unclaimed. He’ll continue to function as depth for the Braves at the Triple-A level.

Martínez had a terrific season in the minors for the Rangers last year, posting a .963 OPS in 82 games, but he couldn’t keep that going in Triple-A in the Braves organization this season, hitting .244/.335/.360 in 60 games. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the option of becoming a free agent.

Martinez heads back to the minors after going 2-for-10 with a double and one stolen base across seven games in a brief stint with the Braves. The 28-year-old figures to be up-and-down over the next few months as emergency outifield depth for Atlanta.

Martinez will take the spot on the active roster previously held by Ronald Acuña Jr., who is out for the year with a torn ACL. Martinez will likely be up as the fourth outfielder in Atlanta with Adam Duvall taking on a larger chunk of playing time. The 28-year-old Martinez is a good defender and has elite speed with 14 steals in 45 games at Triple-A this season and 38 games in 77 Triple-A games for the Rangers last year. If Martinez ever earns consistent playing time, his speed could be an asset in deeper formats.

Acuña Jr. was diagnosed with a torn ACL last night and will be out for the season. It’s a brutal blow for the Braves and Acuña Jr., who has now torn the ACL in both of his knees. The Braves called up J.P. Martinez to take Acuña Jr.'s spot in on the active roster, but Adam Duvall will likely see an uptick in playing time until the Braves maybe make a move for an outfielder.

Martínez has gotten off to a blistering start this season, batting .348 (16-for-46) with two homers and seven steals through 11 games for Triple-A Gwinnett. The 28-year-old outfielder, who got into 17 games last year for the Rangers, was acquired back in January as extra organizational depth.

This one is a real surprise. Giles has looked extremely impressive this spring and figured to be in the mix to make Atlanta’s season-opening bullpen. The 33-year-old former closer will presumably open the year back at Triple-A Gwinnett as extra relief depth.

Martínez struggled last year in his first exposure to the majors, batting .225/.250/.325 with one homer and a 16/2 K/BB ratio across 44 plate appearances for the Rangers. The soon-to-be 28-year-old Cuban outfielder, who received a $2.8 million signing bonus back in 2018, boasts impressive numbers at the Triple-A level and could wind up getting a look at some point in Atlanta next season.