Former Top Prospect Orelvis Martinez DFA'd, Alek Manoah Activated and Optioned to Triple A

With Alek Manoah nearing the end of his rehab assignment, the Toronto Blue Jays had to make a decision about adding him to the major league roster, as well as back on the 40-man roster. Ultimately, they announced that Manoah was reinstated from the 60-day IL and then optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. As the corresponding move, former top prospect Orelvis Martinez was designated for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster. 

Martinez made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in June of 2024 and quickly earned his first hit, but shortly after, he was suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games for testing positive for a prohibited substance. This put into question the validity of Martinez's top prospect status, as his performance was potentially tainted by PED use. 

After serving his suspension, Martinez came into the 2025 season ice cold, as he hit just .147/.237/.279 while striking out near 40% of the time in April. He was hitting much better in May, cutting his strikeout rate to 23.5% and hitting .259/.340/.471 for a 115 wRC+, which signaled a possible turnaround for the 23-year-old infielder. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays and Martinez, that month was the last time he hit in Buffalo, as his remaining months were similarly disastrous as his April. He hit .148/.282/.317 for the rest of the year and showed little of the promise that he displayed prior to his suspension. 

The Jays will have to face another difficult 40-man roster decision in the near future as well, as Anthony Santander has just started his rehab assignment with the Bisons. The team will need to make another cut from the roster to add him back from the 60-day IL. In the offseason, the Jays will also need to add a few prospects to the 40-man, which would result in more hard decisions about how to free up the space.

Featured image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.