A former Red Sox prospect who was lost in December’s Rule 5 draft had surgery Wednesday, potentially impacting his status going forward.
Left-hander Shane Drohan, who the White Sox nabbed from Boston with the fourth pick in the Rule 5 draft, underwent shoulder surgery, White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin). The procedure is thought to have been a nerve decompression.
Drohan’s start to the season will be significantly delayed.
“He had successful surgery this morning. Left shoulder and he’s looking to start probably a throwing program right after the end of spring,” Grifol told reporters.
Drohan, 25, was Boston’s fifth-round pick in the shortened 2020 draft and became one of the organization’s top pitching prospects in the first half of last season before struggling immensely after a promotion to Triple-A. When the Red Sox (in a surprise) left Drohan off their 40-man roster in November and left him eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 draft, he was ranked as the third-best pitching prospect in the system after righties Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales. Drohan entered the year with a chance to make Chicago’s bullpen as a long man.
Rule 5 stipulations dictate that a player must spend a full season (barring IL stints) on the active roster to be kept past a certain season. With Drohan opening the year on the injured list, the goalposts have moved a little bit. As MLBTradeRumors points out: “Drohan will need to spend the entire season on the White Sox’ big league roster and/or injured list — with 90 days on the active roster — in order to shed his Rule 5 status for the 2025 season. If the White Sox want to drop him from the roster at any point, he’d need to be placed on waivers and, if he clears, offered back to the Red Sox for a nominal sum of $50,000.”
In mid-May, it would have been unfathomable to think Drohan would have been a Rule 5 candidate. After getting a taste of Double-A action at the end of 2022, the southpaw flashed a velocity increase in spring training and dominated with Portland early in the season, posting a 1.32 ERA and recording 36 strikeouts in 34 innings over six outings. He was promoted to Triple-A Worcester in mid-May and seemed to be a candidate for a big league promotion if a need arose later in the season. Drohan struggled immediately upon being promoted and was never able to right the ship with the WooSox.
In a total of 89 innings over 21 games (19 starts), Drohan was tagged for a 6.47 ERA at Triple-A. He allowed 103 hits and walked 63 batters (6.4 BB/9) while showing a diminishing pitch mix as the season went on. The under-the-hood numbers were discouraging, too. Outside of being selected to go to the Futures Game in July, the last four months of Drohan’s season were a total loss.
