With the news of outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) being sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, the Atlanta Braves have promoted outfielder J.P. Martinez. Martinez, 28, was acquired from the Texas Rangers this offseason and has been a regular starter for Triple-A Gwinnett. On the season, Martinez has hit .265 with three homers, 12 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Martinez does a little of everything, but he is unlikely to see much playing time in Atlanta right away with Adam Duvall and Jarred Kelenic expected to get the share of at-bats freed up by Acuna being absent. Martinez can safely remain on the waiver wire.
The Texas Rangers have traded outfielder J.P. Martinez to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for right-hander Tyler Owens. The move was made by the Rangers to clear a 40-man roster spot to make room for reliever David Robertson who the club signed on Thursday night. Owens is not on the 40-man roster. Martinez, 27, appeared in 17 games as part of his big-league debut last season and hit .225 while slugging his first career homer in his 44 trips to the plate. He spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A where he hit an impressive .298 with 14 home runs alongside a whopping 38 stolen bases across just 77 games and 353 plate appearances. He will serve as quality outfield depth for the Braves in the 2024 season.
The Texas Rangers called up Cuban outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez from the minors on Wednesday, according to sources. Martinez will join the team in Oakland on Wednesday evening and will be activated on Friday in San Francisco. He spent five seasons in the minors after signing in 2018 for $2.8 million. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger gets his first call to the big leagues after impressing at Triple-A Round Rock to the tune of a .312/.427/.565 slash line with a .992 OPS, 12 home runs, 20 doubles, 55 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 49 runs scored in 67 games played. If you're searching for some power and/or speed, Martinez could be worth a look as a waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues if he sees enough playing time in Texas.
Texas Rangers outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez (groin), who is the team's No. 2 prospect, was removed from the Arizona Fall League as a precaution. Martinez had hit .327 with a homer, six RBI and four stolen bases in 52 at-bats in the AFL after slashing .266/.378/.457 with nine long balls, 24 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 67 games in two minor league levels in 2018. The 22-year-old is intriguing as a power/speed guy with upside, and he could push to make his major league debut late next year or in 2020.
Texas Rangers outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez will be promoted to Single-A short season Spokane on Friday. This may come as a surprise for many, who thought Martinez could play anywhere up to Double-A when the Rangers promoted him. Martinez has been playing in the Dominican Summer League, where he has a .409 batting average, .373 ISO and .597 wOBA in 33 plate appearances. Martinez has value in dynasty formats and hopes to be with the Rangers by 2021. He is a young talented outfielder, who could fast become the Rangers best prospect.
