Sox select pitchers from Yankees, Royals in Rule 5 Draft

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The Boston Red Sox bolstered their pitching depth on Wednesday as they selected two arms in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft.

In the first round, Boston selected left-hander Austin Lambright from the Kansas City Royals. The 27-year-old originally was selected by Kansas City in the 10th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Oklahoma.

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Lambright posted a 2.85 ERA and tallied 74 strikeouts in 33 relief appearances between the Royals' Low-A and High-A affiliates in 2019. He hasn't pitched since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and injury in 2021.

In Round 2, the Red Sox turned heads by taking another pitcher from the New York Yankees. They selected right-hander Brian Keller, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee product drafted in the 39th round in 2016.

Keller, 27, had a 2.77 ERA in 26 appearances (11 starts) in Triple-A last season. He's the third straight player the Red Sox have taken from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft, following last year's selection of right-hander Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock went on to have a spectacular rookie season (1.96 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 46 appearances) and is considered one of Boston's most important pitchers entering 2022.

The Red Sox did not have any players poached away from them on Wednesday.

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