The 2018 Rule 5 Draft was completed on Thursday, and the Yankees selected one player from the Triple-A phase while losing five of their own minor leaguers. They also lost Nick Green to the Diamondbacks in the Major League phase.
Players selected in the Major League phase must remain on the Major League roster for the duration of the 2019 season unless returned to their original club. Selections in the Triple-A phase have the opportunity to stay at that level, or return to their former minor league team.
With that being said, Green was selected in the first round of the Major League phase and will be part of Arizona’s 2019 roster. Players who were selected from the Yankees in the Triple-A phase include Chris Rabago, Gilmael Troya, Anyelo Gomez, Mark Payton and Alexander Vargas.
The Yankees also had five players selected in the Triple-A phase: C Chris Rabago (to KC), RHP Gilmael Troya (to PHI), RHP Anyelo Gomez (to BOS), OF Mark Payton (to OAK) and RHP Alexander Vargas (to CHC).
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) December 13, 2018
None of these players ever cracked the Yankees’ top 30 prospects list. Green went 8-7 with a 3.32 ERA across High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton last season. The 23-year-old struck out 102 while walking 64 batters in 132.2 innings pitched. He was a 35th round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft.
While losing six players, the Yankees added Adonis De La Cruz, a pitcher from the Seattle Mariners system.
The Yankees made one selection in today’s Rule 5 Draft, taking RHP Adonis De la Cruz from Seattle’s Double-A roster in the Triple-A phase.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) December 13, 2018
The 23-year-old went 3-4 with a 4.71 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 34 relief appearances with Single-A Clinton in 2018. He struck out 75 batters in 57.1 innings, and owns a career 3.29 ERA in 186 innings of work. Seattle signed him as a non-drafted free agent in 2013. Originally an outfielder, De La Cruz initiated his transition to pitching in 2015.
