FORT MYERS, Fla. - The most interesting Rule 5 player since Garrett Whitlock re-emerged in the news Wednesday.
Noah Song - who the Phillies plucked from the Red Sox in December's Rule 5 Draft - has been allowed by the Navy to resume his professional baseball career. The clearance will give Song a chance to make the Philadelphia roster out of this spring training, preventing a return to the Red Sox.
By Rule 5 regulations, any selection has to remain with the major league team when camp's break or he will be forced to return to his original team. The 25-year-old Song - a fourth-round pick out of the Naval Academy in 2019 - last played competitive baseball following the 2019 season, playing for Team USA in the WBSC Premier 12 Tournament in Japan.
During that international tournament, Song dominated while throwing a 99 mph fastball, allowing just one hit over his 5 1/3 innings.
In that brief stint with the Red Sox organization in 2019, Song struck out 19 in 17 innings while allowing a .167 batting average against for Single-A Lowell.
Song has been in Naval Aviation since June 2020 before finally getting his release to restart his professional baseball career Wednesday. He is slated to report to Phillies camp in the coming days.
During his brief stint with Lowell, Song left quite an impression, as was evident in former Spinners pitching coach Nick Green's comments to WEEI.com in 2019.
"The expectation was high, but seeing him ... I'll never forget seeing him throw his first bullpen in Batavia," Green said. "I was like, 'Wow!' It wasn't just the velo. It was the command, everything. From Day 1 he got my attention and from that point on it's been great to watch him."
The following is the explanation of the Rule 5 process from MLB.com:
Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.
Not every club will make a selection, but those that do pick a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which said player was selected. Rule 5 Draft picks are assigned directly to the drafting club's 26-man roster and must be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the 26-man roster in the subsequent season. Should the player clear waivers, he must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him. A Rule 5 Draft pick can be placed on the Major League injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days to avoid being subject to the aforementioned roster restrictions in the next campaign.
Clubs may trade a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the same restrictions apply to the player's new organization. However, a club may also work out a trade with the Rule 5 pick's original club to acquire his full rights, thereby allowing him to be optioned to the Minors under traditional circumstances.