Today in the first round of the Major League phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, Oakland selected RHP Mitch Spence, Kansas City selected RHP Matt Sauer and Texas selected RHP Carson Coleman from the Yankees.
In the Triple-A phase of today’s Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees selected RHP Gabriel Barbosa in the first round from Colorado and RHP Kervin Castro in the second round from Houston.
Barbosa, 21, has gone 20-10 with two saves and a 4.23 ERA (217.0IP, 237H, 128R/102ER, 37BB, 183K, 12HR) in 63 career games (32 starts) over four minor league seasons (2019, ’21-23). The right-handed pitcher went 7-6 with one save and a 5.44 ERA (94.1IP, 121H, 68R/57ER, 19BB, 82K, 5HR) in 22 games (13 starts) with Single-A Fresno in 2023. The Bastos, Brazil, native was originally signed by Colorado as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2018.
Castro, 24, has made 20 career Major League relief appearances over parts of two seasons with the San Francisco Giants (2021-22) and Chicago Cubs (2022), going 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA (25.2IP, 28H, 15R/14ER, 11BB, 24K, 3HR). The right-handed pitcher made 10 relief appearances for Detroit’s Triple-A Toledo in 2023, posting a 2.30 ERA (15.2IP, 14H, 5R/4ER, 9BB, 19K, 0HR) with one save. He later signed with the Houston Astros as a minor league free agent on November 18, 2023. Over six minor league seasons (2016, ’18-19, ’21-23), Castro has gone 16-9 with a 3.27 ERA (195.1IP, 152H, 80R/71ER, 88BB, 217K, 9HR) in 105 games (14 starts). The Maracay, Venezuela, native was originally signed by San Francisco as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015.
Additionally, Los Angeles-AL selected INF Eric Wagaman (first round), Boston selected C Mickey Gasper (first round), Tampa Bay selected RHP Michael Gómez (first round) and Pittsburgh selectedINF Marcos Cabrera (third round).
Jon Butensky
Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
New York Yankees
