He was removed from the Reds' 40-man roster and will test out free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to the minors. Martini slashed .212/.272/.370 over 52 games with Cincinnati this season.
The Reds activated Martini (thumb) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to their Arizona Complex League affiliate Wednesday.
Martini is recovered from his thumb surgery, but the Reds have decided they didn't have a spot for him on their active roster right now. The 34-year-old has slashed .212/.272/.370 over 52 games with Cincinnati this season.
Martini (thumb) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.
Martini had originally been targeting Tuesday as the start date for his assignment, so it's possible the 34-year-old is ahead of schedule in his recovery. It's unclear how many games he will play in the minors, though there's still a good chance he rejoins the Reds before the end of the season.
Martini (thumb) has targeted Sept. 17 as the start of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville, MLB.com reports.
Martini underwent left thumb surgery in early July and is getting close to being ready for game action. The 34-year-old will hope to make it back to the Reds later this month.
