Phillies P Noah Song cleared to join team for spring training after removal from Navy active duty

Noah Song now has the opportunity to be part of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Opening Day roster.

The former Navy pitcher has been moved from active duty to the reserves and is now free to join the Phillies in spring training. Song, 25, was unable to perform professionally on active duty.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Song was one of the top pitchers in college baseball in 2019. But he failed to get a deferment waiver and was called to active duty after the 2019 minor league season. .

Song was drafted by the Red Sox and lasted past the first three rounds of the draft because his near-term professional status was unclear. In 2019, he threw 17 innings for Boston’s under-class A affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, and remained part of the Red Sox organization while on active duty.

However, the team left Song unprotected ahead of the 2023 Rule 5 draft, and the Phillies lashed out in the offseason.

Song’s chances of making it to the Major Leagues

Song’s chances of camping with the Phillies seem pretty slim as he hasn’t been in competitive play in the last three seasons. And thanks to rule 5 of the MLB rule, Song must be part of the Phillies’ major league roster if he’s going to stay on the team. This is a tough task for any Rule 5 pick, let alone someone who hasn’t pitched in a while. The Phillies are the reigning National League champions and have been joined by bullpen veterans like Craig Kimbrel and Matt Strum in the offseason.

Because he was drafted under Rule 5, Song was directly assigned to the Phillies’ MLB team after the team selected him. If Philadelphia decides not to keep him on a major league team at any point in 2023, he should be waived. And if he clears the waivers, the Phillies should offer the Red Sox the chance to win him back for $50,000. If he lifts the waivers and the Red Sox turn down the opportunity for Song to rejoin the organization, the Phillies may assign him to the minor league affiliate.

But you can see why the Phillies risked Song’s availability in the offseason and hoped to appoint him to a minor league team if he didn’t make the MLB team. He boasted a fastball that could reach the 90s in the Navy and had a career 2.37 ERA in 334 career innings at school. He struck out 428 batters in four seasons with the midshipmen and gave up just 11 home runs. Song also had 19 strikeouts in 17 innings for Lowell with the Red Sox in 2019.