Blue Jays select RHP Bastardo from Red Sox in Rule 5 draft
Published
The Toronto Blue Jays selected right-handed pitcher Angel Bastardo from the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Bastardo, 22, pitched in AA with the Portland Sea Dogs last season, where he made 10 starts and held a 5.36 earned-run average with an 0-5 record. Tommy John surgery cut his season short in June.
The righty struggled with walks in the minors last season, with 21 in 45.1 innings pitched.
This is the first selection made by the Blue Jays in the Rule 5 draft since they took Elvis Luciano in the 2018.
Luciano spent time in the majors the following season at age 19 in order to be protected from selection n the following Rule 5 draft, but never returned to the majors afterwards.
Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to the club's 40-man roster within five years or they become eligible for the Rule 5 draft.
Once selected in the draft, the team must keep the player on their major-league roster for the entire following season, or the player will be offered back to the original team.
The team also selected right-handed pitcher Richard Gallardo and outfielder Jacob Wetzel from the Chicago Cubs in the Minor League phase of the draft.
Blue Jays outfielder Garrett Spain was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers.