McAdam: Rule 5 infielder Jonathan Arauz hopes to make good on longshot roster bid

As a general rule, teams who expect to contend for a championship don't have the luxury of carrying a Rule 5 pick on their roster.

Carrying an inexperienced player -- the vast majority of whom have never played above Double-A, if that -- is a hindrance when it comes to roster management.

Accordingly, the Red Sox have only had a handful of Rule 5 players on their major league roster. Lenny DiNardo, in 2003, was perhaps the most successful. Josh Rutledge, in 2016, was the most recent.

This year, for a variety of reasons, the Red Sox are trying to see if a Rule 5 pick -- infielder Jonathan Arauz, selected from the Houston Astros -- can stick. A Rule 5 player must remain either on the major league roster or the DL for the entire season, or else be offered back to the team from which he drafted and/or placed on waivers.

The cost -- $100,000 -- is, relatively speaking, a relative pittance. And you never know: the likes of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and Blue Jays slugger George Bell first made it to the majors as Rule 5 picks.

It makes sense, then, that the Sox might experiment this season.



For one thing, though the Sox continue to maintain that they expect to contend for a playoff spot, this is, by most accounts, a season in which they're also building toward the future. Secondly, the arrival of new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has signaled that the Sox are uncovering every conceivable option when it comes to providing depth for their roster.

And finally -- and perhaps most significantly -- an expansion of major league rosters this season from 25 players to 26 gives one more spot that could be awarded to a Rule 5 player.

"I think the 26th man is huge to try to do this,'' said interim manager Ron Roenicke. "I tried to do it in Milwaukee before with a 25-man roster. It was a lefty pitcher we had in the bullpen and it was very difficult. So the 26th man is big. If we're going to do this, we'll try to figure out how to do it. But the 26th man is huge for that.''

Arauz is an infielder with great defensive skills and the ability to play several infield positions. One scout who has seen quite a bit of Arauz, 21, believes his glovework is good enough for the major league level already.

"Honestly, I think, right now, I can (play in the big leagues defensively),'' said Arauz through a translator. "I think my glove translates. That's probably my strong suit right now, my defense, so I feel I like I can contribute that way.''

He's played second, short and third in pro ball and considers second base his strongest position. He's done a little work in the outfield, too, and would be eager to add that option to further enhance his usefulness.

But offense is another matter. In parts of five minor league seasons, most of them at A Ball, Arauz, a native of Panama, has hit just .243.

Yet Arauz hardly seems intimidated by the prospect of having to face -- and hit -- major league pitching for the first time.

"It will strange at first,'' said Arauz, "because obviously these guys as the major league level have better control of their pitches and a better arsenal. But overall, it's still the same game and I just have to go out there and have good at-bats. That's probably the thing that will be different -- the type of pitchers that I'm facing -- but not as much, because I'm just going to attack it the way I always do.''

For now, Arauz is trying to get acclimated to his first big league camp.

"It's obviously all really new to me,'' he admitted. "But it's been good so far. Honestly, it's a bit nerve-wracking at times because there's a lot of great players here, a lot of superstars. Sometimes, they need their space. But as the days have gone by, I'm getting more and more comfortable with those guys, picking their brains. It's been good overall, because they've been making me feel like I'm a part of things.''

"This guy is very versatile in what he can do defensively and that helps a lot,'' said Roenicke. "It's hard for a manager because I know he needs to play to be evaluated and needs to play to get his confidence, he needs to play to get used to the big leagues and yet, you're trying to win every ballgame you can. And sometimes, trying to figure that out becomes a challenge.''

Most Rule 5 picks don't stick and have to be offered back. It's a longshot bid, with the odds against him.

But the Sox are open to the possibility.

"It's a big jump (from Single-A or Double-A to the big leagues),'' said Roenicke. "That's why Rule 5's are hard. Some guys are able to jump from A ball to the big leagues and still be able to help you. That happens on occasion, but probably not very often.''