Manny Ramírez (Not That One) Among Yankees’ MiLB Rule 5 Draftees

The Yankees added a familiar name in the minor league version of the Rule 5 draft.

Manny Ramírez is a Yankee.

No, not the former MVP and Red Sox superstar. The right-handed minor league pitcher.

This Manny Ramírez was scooped up by New York on Wednesday in the Minor League Rule 5 Draft. Ramírez was taken in the second round from Houston’s Low-A affiliate. The Yankees used their first-round selection on Steven Jennings, a fellow righty on the Pirates’ High-A roster.

Jennings, 23, is 19-19 with one save and a 4.75 ERA over 295.2 professional innings. The Brush Creek, Tennessee native was a second-round pick out of high school in 2017. He spent the majority of the 2021 season in the bullpen between Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He recorded a 4.99 ERA over 29 games but went 9-1.

The Yankees made two selections in today’s Minor League Rule 5 Draft, taking RHP Steven Jennings in the first round from Pittsburgh’s High-A roster and RHP Manny Ramírez in the second round from Houston’s Low-A roster.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) December 8, 2021

Ramírez, meanwhile, signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2017. The Santo Domingo, D.R., native owns a 4.33 ERA over 95.2 career frames. The 22-year-old did not appear in a game in 2021. Ramírez has split time between being a starter and a reliever. No word yet on his cut-off throws.

The Yankees also lost a right-handed pitcher in the MiLB Rule 5 draft, as Boston nabbed Brain Keller off the Double-A Somerset roster.

New York originally picked Keller, 27, in the 39th round of the 2016 draft. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee product posted a 2.77 ERA over 55.1 innings at Triple-A last season.

The Red Sox found a gem in the Yankees’ system last year when they added Garrett Whitlock in the MLB Rule 5 Draft, but this year’s plans for that phase are on hold during the ongoing lockout. 

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