Yankees Protect Two Top 30 Prospects From Rule 5 Draft

The New York Yankees made their protections for the Rule 5 Draft on Tuesday, one month ahead of the winter meetings in Nashville.

The most prominent prospects that were up for protection were six within the Yankees’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com.

Those prospects included right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter (No. 16), second baseman/shortstop Jared Serna (No. 20), catcher Agustin Ramirez (No. 24), right-handed pitcher Matt Sauer (No. 25), left-handed pitcher Edgar Barclay (No. 28) and outfielder Elijah Dunham (No. 30)

The Yankees announced that the protected two of those players — Beeter and Ramirez. They were moved to the 40-man roster. The rest will be unprotected for the Rule 5 Draft.

The moves can be critical for the Yankees’ future, as there are players that could make their way to the team one day.

The farm system yielded some fruit at the end of last season, most notably the promotion of outfielder Jasson Dominguez, who unfortunately will miss next season after he tore the UCL in his arm and required Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees are set to retain their manager, Aaron Boone, for 2024, but have waved goodbye to their bench coach, Carlos Mendoza, who is taking over the cross-town Mets. The Yankees haven’t found his replacement, but they did announce the hiring of James Rowson as the team’s hitting coach, replacing Sean Casey.

Last year the Yankees didn’t draft a Rule 5 player, but they lost two in the draft — pitcher Zach Greene (to the Mets, who was returned to the Yankees in March) and pitcher Wilking Rodriguez (who is now with the Cardinals).

The Rule 5 Draft, or the Winter Meeting Draft, will take place on Dec. 6 in Nashville.

Players signed at age 18 or younger who had not been added to the 40-man within five seasons of becoming a pro, or players who signed at age 19 or older and had not been added to the 40-man roster within four seasons were eligible for protection.

For teams that draft a player in the Rule 5 Draft, they must pay $100,000 to the player’s club, put him on their 26-man roster immediately and put him out outright waivers if they release him the following season. If he clears waivers, he goes back to his former team for $50,000.