The Milwaukee Brewers saw a familiar name exit the organization this offseason, as longtime minor leaguer Ernesto Martinez Jr. has landed with the New York Yankees in free agency. Martinez, who joined the Brewers as an international signee in 2017, spent years working his way through the system and showed flashes of being one of the organization’s more prolific power bats, while possessing great speed, leaving behind 56 home runs at the minor-league level.
Sources: The New York Yankees have signed Cuban 1B/OF Ernesto Martinez Jr. to a minor league contract.
The deal includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Martinez Jr., 26, was close to making his MLB debut with the Brewers last season but ultimately was not promoted.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) December 12, 2025
Longtime Milwaukee Brewers minor league player Ernesto Martinez Jr has signed with the New York Yankees in free agency
Last winter, the Brewers got somewhat lucky as Martinez Jr, who was a free agent at that time as well, re-signed with the organization with an invite to big league camp. He was on the brink of potentially get a MLB call up, as in 2024 he had a great season in Double-A, posting a .284/.365/.466 slash line with 13 home runs, 62 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and just a 16.8% strikeout rate.
As expected, Martinez Jr spent 2025 in Triple-A. A thumb issue limited him a bit early on, and overall he appeared in just 80 games. His numbers were a bit down, consisting of a .255/.357/.388 slash line with six home runs, 40 RBI, and just one stolen base.
One factor that may have influenced Martinez Jr.’s decision to seek a fresh start elsewhere is Milwaukee’s decision to re-sign backup first baseman Jake Bauers. With both Bauers and Martinez Jr. being left-handed hitters who primarily play first base, and Andrew Vaughn expected to handle the bulk of the major-league playing time, the path to the big leagues in Milwaukee had become increasingly unclear for Martinez Jr.
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