The Red Sox added two pitchers to their 40-man roster forward of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline, defending the prospects from being uncovered within the Rule 5 Draft.
Right-handed pitchers Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales had been added to the roster. Both additions had been broadly anticipated, on condition that they characterize Boston’s high two beginning pitching prospects and would have nearly actually been poached by one other membership if left unprotected.
The large shock was who was left uncovered.
Left-hander Shane Drohan, thought-about a high candidate to be added to the 40-man, was surprisingly left unprotected. Not way back Drohan Boston’s most MLB-ready beginning pitching prospect, however his efficiency notably tailed off because the season went on.
Gonzalez was just lately named Red Sox Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.96 ERA with 168 strikeouts over 111.1 innings between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. The 21-year-old from Venezuela obtained off to a rocky begin because of some critical command points, however completed robust and posted a 2.42 ERA following his midseason promotion to Portland. He presently ranks as Boston’s No. 9 prospect in response to MLB Pipeline.
Perales, Boston’s No. 10 prospect, additionally loved a breakout season by which he posted a 3.91 ERA with 115 strikeouts over 89.2 innings. The fellow Venezuelan was Rule 5 eligible regardless of being solely being 20 years previous, and he’s nonetheless a great distance from the majors after solely simply reaching High-A this previous 12 months.
Drohan, ranked No. 18, may need been the subsequent in line to contribute on the large league stage subsequent season. The 24-year-old obtained off to an unbelievable begin in Portland this spring, getting promoted to Triple-A barely a month into the season after going 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA over his first six begins. Things didn’t go as easily as soon as he obtained to Worcester, nevertheless, and he completed the season with a 5.05 ERA over 123 innings.
Evidently the membership was troubled by his efficiency, and now it could be a shock if he isn’t picked by one other membership in subsequent month’s Rule 5 Draft.
Other potential candidates left uncovered included pitchers Ryan Fernandez, Grant Gambrell, Justin Hagenman, Angel Bastardo and Zach Penrod together with infielders Eddinson Paulino and Brainer Bonaci, who possible would have been protected earlier than he was positioned on the restricted record for violating MLB’s joint home violence, sexual assault, and youngster abuse coverage.
Right-hander Noah Song, who was taken by Philadelphia in final 12 months’s Rule 5 Draft regardless of lacking three years resulting from his U.S. Navy obligations, and who was later returned to the Red Sox after failing to stay with Philadelphia’s large league roster, was additionally left unprotected.
Players are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after 5 years in the event that they signed with their golf equipment at age 18 or youthful, or after 4 years in the event that they signed at age 19 or older.
The Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 39.
Source: www.bostonherald.com