Ex-Red Sox Rule 5 Draft Pick Signs With Dodgers In Free Agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason heavy lifting isn’t keeping them from working inside the margins, as well.

The Dodgers recently signed infielder Jonathan Araúz to a minor league contract, according to his MLB.com player page.

Araúz obviously doesn’t move the needle like Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto — LA’s more notable free agent acquisitions — but he’s nevertheless a player whom many Boston Red Sox fans probably are familiar with.

The Red Sox selected Araúz from the Houston Astros in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, and he spent parts of three seasons in the Boston system before being claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles in June 2022.

Araúz’s run in Boston was unremarkable, as he slashed just .204/.280/.320 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 59 games (167 plate appearances). He provided defensive versatility in the infield, though, while shuttling back and forth between Boston and Triple-A Worcester.

The Dodgers presumably will lean on Araúz for organizational depth. And it’s also probably fair to assume the 25-year-old’s new contract with Los Angeles includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Araúz, a native of Panama, owns a .185/.253/.308 batting line with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 95 career big league games (262 plate appearances). He spent 2023 with the New York Mets after being claimed off waivers from the Orioles.