Former Navy pitcher Noah Song is beginning his rehab stint in Single-A Clearwater tonight. Earlier this week, Rob Thomson announced he wouldn’t begin the assignment until Friday, but it appears the slate has changed. The Phils will have 30 days to place Song on the 26-man roster once the rehab assignment begins.
Phillies shocked the Red Sox back in December 2022 when they chose Song as a Rule 5 Draft pick, as he had not pitched competitively since 2019 due to his commitment with the Navy. Despite this, the hurler showed intense promise with Class A Lowell in 2019, posting a 1.66 ERA in just 17 innings. The Navy accepted Song’s request earlier this year and placed him on selective reserves, making his baseball career possible.
Rule 5 Draft picks must remain on a team’s active roster the entire season, otherwise they must be placed on outright waivers. Song, being on the injured list since March, will need to be active for 90 days before he loses Rule 5 status, meaning that he must be on the active roster this year AND next. While his velocity is no where near that of what it was in 2019, the young stud is showing promise in Clearwater.
