Every Rule 5 Draft pick in Red Sox history

BOSTON – While the Red Sox have never struck gold in a Johan Santana way in the Rule 5 Draft, they’ve seen draftees make an impact as key players on contending teams or as trade pieces for future stars.

While the format and eligibility rules have changed at times, here are all the players selected by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft dating back to 1970.

? How the Rule 5 Draft works

2023: Rangers RHP Justin Slaten
The Mets actually selected Slaten in the Rule 5 Draft first, but it was only so they could facilitate a trade with the Red Sox. Slaten pitched under Rule 5 rules in Boston, meaning he needed to stay on the roster the entire season, which he did. In 2024, Slaten brought back flashbacks of Garrett Whitlock three years earlier when he was a stellar rookie setup man for the Red Sox, posting a 2.93 ERA in 44 appearances to go with a 1.01 WHIP.

2020: Yankees RHP Garrett Whitlock
With the fourth pick in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox selected Yankees prospect Whitlock. He made an immediate impact, emerging as one of the top relievers on a ’21 Red Sox team that advanced to the American League Championship Series. Whitlock has been an invaluable swingman for the Red Sox in his four years with the team, though health problems have slowed him.

2019: Astros INF Jonathan Araúz
The versatile switch-hitter earned a roster spot for the Red Sox throughout the shortened 2020 season, slashing .250/.325/.319 with one homer and nine RBIs in 80 plate appearances. Araúz is still on the 40-man roster and will compete for a job in Spring Training in '21.

2016: Rockies INF Josh Rutledge
The Red Sox acquired Rutledge from the Angels in July 2015 for Shane Victorino, but the club outrighted him in November '16 and he became a free agent. Though Rutledge signed with the Rockies a couple of weeks later, the Red Sox then snagged him back in the Rule 5 Draft. Rutledge wound up serving as a reserve for three seasons with Boston, slashing .252/.319/.313 with one homer and 22 RBIs in 104 games.

2014: Astros RHP Jandel Gustave
On the same day he was taken by Boston in the Rule 5 Draft, Gustave was sent to the Royals. The righty made his Majors debut in 2016 with the Astros, and he pitched parts of three seasons with Houston and the Giants, before signing with the Pirates this September.

2012: Nationals 2B Jeff Kobernus
Kobernus had one of the shortest tenures in Red Sox history. Just hours after taking Kobernus in the Rule 5 Draft, the Sox dealt him to the Tigers for utility player Justin Henry. While Henry played two seasons for Triple-A Pawtucket, he never made it to the Majors. Kobernus wound up returning to the Nationals and played in 28 games over his two-year career.

? History of the Rule 5 Draft

2011: Cubs SS Marwin Gonzalez
Here is one Rule 5 Draft pick the Red Sox would like to have back. On the same day the Sox selected Gonzalez, they traded him to the Cubs for Marco Duarte, a journeyman Minor Leaguer who hasn’t yet made it to the Majors. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has gone on to have a solid career and belted 23 homers for the World Series champion Astros in 2017.

2008: Angels RHP Miguel González
Though González never got on the mound for the Red Sox, he was in the organization for three years and went on to win 52 games across seven Major League seasons.

2006: Rays RHP Nick DeBarr
DeBarr never threw a pitch in the Red Sox organization or in the Major Leagues. He threw 234 games in the Minors, ending his career in 2018.

2005: Blue Jays RHP Jamie Vermilyea
The Red Sox couldn’t find a roster spot for Vermilyea and returned him to the Blue Jays, where he had a lengthy Minor League career, but appeared in just two Major League games.

2004: Braves OF Adam Stern
The most memorable thing Stern ever did was hit an inside-the-park homer for Team Canada in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. The Red Sox liked his tools, but he played just 46 games for the club over two seasons, hitting .143. Stern made two more stops with the Orioles and Brewers, playing a combined eight games.

2003: Mets LHP Lenny DiNardo
Thanks to getting taken in the Rule 5 Draft, DiNardo pitched in 22 games for the legendary Red Sox of 2004 and earned a championship ring he will cherish forever. DiNardo stayed with the Sox for three seasons before making stops in Oakland and Kansas City.

2003: Yankees RHP Colter Bean
The Red Sox hoped they could steal a promising pitcher from their rivals, but they wound up selling him back to the Yankees just three months after the Rule 5 Draft.

2002: D-backs LHP Javier López
When the Sox couldn’t find a spot on their 2003 roster for the sidearm slinger, they dealt him to the Colorado Rockies in Spring Training. However, that wasn’t the end of the story between López and the Red Sox. Boston reacquired López in a trade with the White Sox in '06, and he was an important bullpen piece for the '07 World Series champion Red Sox. López went on to win three more rings with the Giants in '10, ’12 and ’14.

2002: Rays OF Adrian Brown
The speedy outfielder played nine games for the memorable “Cowboy Up!” Red Sox of 2003, and he was also on the active roster for the American League Division Series and AL Championship Series, appearing in four postseason games. Brown was a veteran of nine Major League seasons, six of them with the Pirates.

2002: Pirates LHP Matt White
White pitched in three games for the Red Sox in 2003, but he was traded to the Mariners in June of that season. White became well-known for non-baseball reasons in '07, when news broke that he had possession of a potentially lucrative stone quarry in Western Massachusetts.

1998: Athletics LHP Joel Adamson
Just three days after Adamson signed as a free agent with the A’s, the Red Sox took him in the Rule 5 Draft. Adamson didn’t make it with Boston, but he pitched in 44 MLB games for the Florida Marlins, Brewers and D-backs from 1996-98.

1995: Mets LHP Joe Crawford
Four months after taking him in the Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox dealt Crawford back to the Mets. His only taste of the Major Leagues came in 1997, when he pitched in 19 games -- including two starts -- for the Mets.

1994: Orioles LHP Vaughn Eshelman
The Eshelman era started auspiciously in Boston, as the lefty fired 13 shutout innings over his first two starts, winning his first three. It didn’t last, as Eshelman finished his career with a 6.07 ERA in 83 games, all with Boston. Sadly, Eshelman died at the age of 49 in 2018.

1994: Giants OF Benji Simonton
The journeyman appeared in 901 Minor League games, but none with the Red Sox.

1993: Padres 2B Billy Hall
Not to be confused with the player of the same name who suited up for the Red Sox in 2010, Hall was selected by Boston, but he didn’t make the team and wound up back with the Padres. Hall never appeared in a Major League game.

1987: Expos RHP John Trautwein
This move simply didn’t pay dividends, as Trautwein had a 9.00 ERA over nine relief appearances for the 1988 Red Sox. He never pitched in the Majors again.

1984: Giants RHP Mike Trujillo
This wound up being a decent find for the Sox. Trujillo pitched in 30 games over two seasons for Boston, and he was also part of the trade package sent to the Mariners in 1986 that helped the Red Sox land Dave Henderson and Spike Owen. Both of those players were key down the stretch for the ’86 Sox, particularly Henderson, who hit one of the biggest homers in team history.

1974: Orioles INF Kim Andrew
This Rule 5 Draft transaction allowed Andrew to go 1-for-2 in two plate appearances for the pennant-winning Red Sox of 1975. However, Andrew never played in the Majors again. He did have a solid Minor League career for the Orioles and Red Sox, hitting above .300 four times.

1971: Dodgers OF Bob Gallagher
The left-handed hitter was hitless in five plate appearances for the 1972 Red Sox. He would play in three more Major League seasons with the Astros and Mets, finishing with a career average of .220 with two home runs.