Orelvis Martinez's PED suspension stunted his development at the worst possible time

Entering the 2024 campaign, the hype level on Toronto Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez was sky-high, and for good reason. The power-hitting infielder hit 28 home runs with 94 RBI across 125 minor league games the year prior, while showing a gradual improvement in patience at the plate.

In 63 games at the Triple-A level this year, Martinez had 30 extra-base hits (16 home runs, 14 doubles) and 46 RBI, posting a cool .867 OPS along the way. At just 22-years of age, he appeared to be ready for his first cup of coffee at the game's highest level.

Just one game and a few days into his big league tenure, Jays Journal's No. 2 prospect was hit with an 80-game PED suspension that'd take him out of action until the very end of the year. This significant blow could not possibly have come at a worse time for the budding star.

Orelvis Martinez's PED suspension has significantly stunted his development

Obviously at this stage in your professional career, you don't want to miss any time and you certainly don't want your reputation blemished by a suspension. But in Martinez's case, his suspension came at a horrible time.

With the Blue Jays undergoing a sell-off at the trade deadline, a ton of roster spots opened up, giving the likes of Addison Barger, Leo Jimenez, Ernie Clement, Luis De Los Santos and Spencer Horwitz some additional playing time and the ability to audition for bigger roles next year. Martinez could've been a part of that group.

Moving on from Isiah Kiner-Falefa and sending Bo Bichette back to the injured list opened up two spots in the infield that were largely up for grabs and there for the taking. One of these spots would've gone to Martinez, the club's top position player prospect, to see what he's made of in the big leagues.

Like we said, this is audition time for next year. So many members of this 26-man roster are trying to not only secure spots on next year's roster, but they're trying to prove they deserve a starting gig. It may be a little bit early for someone as young as Martinez to be handed a starting role, but the option was completely taken away because of a mistake he made off the field.

Once he is eligible to return, it feels likely that the Blue Jays will add Martinez back to their big league roster to continue to get a look at him. However, 80 games is a long time, and him missing that crucial developmental time is ultimately going to hurt him.

It seems that many in the industry are beginning to sour on Martinez in prospect rankings, too. For instance, Baseball America's midseason top 100 saw him fall from No. 51 in baseball to No. 74, while Just Baseball's midseason top 100 update didn't include Martinez at all.