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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Martin has officially elected free agency after clearing waivers on Thursday. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles on July 13, made only one appearance for the team this season, a scoreless 1.1-inning outing against the Texas Rangers in which he struck out two batters.
Martin’s brief return to the majors was his first MLB action since the 2022 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Initially drafted by the Houston Astros in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Martin has struggled to establish a consistent presence at the major league level throughout his career. In total, he has pitched 57 2/3 innings in MLB, posting a 6.56 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate, and 13.4% walk rate.
After his time with the Astros and the Diamondbacks, Martin was traded to the Diamondbacks in the 2019 deal that sent Zack Greinke to the Astros. At the time of the trade, Martin was recovering from Tommy John surgery. He missed the remainder of the 2019 season and all of 2020.
His struggles continued in 2021, when he posted a 10.69 ERA across five games for the Diamondbacks. In 2022, he managed 7 MLB appearances with a 4.84 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 22.1 innings, but the majority of his season was spent in Triple-A Reno.
In 2023, Martin's career was again derailed by injury, a torn lat tendon under his right shoulder, which required surgery and sidelined him for the entire year. He began the 2024 season with Triple-A Reno, made two appearances, and was designated for assignment on April 7. After brief stops with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville and then with the Orioles' Triple-A Norfolk Tides, Martin was promoted to the Orioles’ active roster on July 2, 2025.
In Triple-A Norfolk this season, Martin compiled a 2–2 record with a 5.29 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 32 1/3 innings. His strongest stretch came between May 30 and his major league call-up, during which he allowed just one run over 12 innings with an 11-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Overall, Martin held a 23% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate in 2025 with Norfolk.
Now back on the free agent market, Corbin Martin is hoping to find a fresh start with a new team. By rejecting the assignment, he’s showing he still believes he can contribute at the big-league level. Only time will tell if another MLB team sees enough promise in his potential to give him another shot.
