The New York Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve returned right-handed pitcher Brad Meyers, selected by the Yankees in the 2011 Rule 5 draft, to the Washington Nationals.
Meyers, the Nationals’ 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, was taken by the Yankees last December and, by virtue of the rules of the Rule 5 draft, expected to remain on the Yankees 25-man roster all season or be returned to the Nationals.
Meyers was hurt before Opening Day, though, and he spent the majority of the 2012 season on the disabled list (including the 60-day DL) with a cartilage injury in his shoulder.
The Yankees could’ve kept Meyers and gone through a similar process with him this season (keeping him on the 25-man roster or return him) but instead they decided to cut ties and give him back to Washington. Meyers was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse roster.
The Nationals would have to put him on the 40-man roster or expose him to the Rule 5 draft again this season. At one point Meyers was considered one of the Nationals’ top pitching prospects, and is still likely closer to major league ready than many of the pitchers in the Nationals’ system, but it’s unlikely they will protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
