The Washington Nationals have signed Orelvis Martinez to a minor-league deal, the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden reports.
Martinez, 23, was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this month.
The Nationals agreed to terms with INF Orelvis Martinez on a minor league deal for next year, per source.
Martinez, 23, played one game for the Blue Jays in 2024. A former top 100 prospect who received an 80-game suspension in 2024 for using a performance-enhancing substance.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) September 26, 2025
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Martinez was a highly touted international free agent signing by the Jays in 2018. In 2022, he hit a franchise-record 30 home runs at the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. By the end of 2023, he had reached Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons.
Martinez entered the 2024 season as the Blue Jays’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. On June 18, he was promoted to the majors, making his debut against the Cleveland Guardians, going 1-for-3. Two days later, Martinez would be suspended for 80 games after testing positive for clomiphene, something Martinez said he had taken for fertility issues.
Upon his reinstatement in September, he was reassigned to the Bisons and never played for the Blue Jays again.
In 2025 with the Bisons, Martinez struggled mightily. At the time of his designation, he had appeared in 99 games and was batting .176 with 59 hits, 13 home runs, 32 runs batted in and an OPS of .636.