White Sox select pitcher Dylan Covey in Rule 5 Draft

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The White Sox selected right-hander Dylan Covey from the Oakland Athletics in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft Thursday.

A first-round draft pick out of high school by the Brewers in 2010, Covey, 25, was limited to six starts with Class AA Midland because of an oblique injury. Covey went 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 29 innings before the injury.

“Obviously he’s not a finished product but we think he has a chance to compete for a spot in our bullpen or possibly even in the rotation,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Long term he has starter potential and we’ll just have to wait and see how he looks when he gets to Glendale. But he’s an interesting arm and we’re interested in adding as much talent as we can to the organization. Rule 5 draft is another avenue to do that.”

The Sox must keep Covey on their 25-man roster for the entire 2017 season or offer him back to the A’s before he can be sent to the minor leagues.

With the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League in 2016, Covey went 4-0 with a 4.74 ERA in six starts. He owns a 4.83 ERA over 369 innings with 264 strikeouts over four career minor-league seasons.

“We had three scouts see him in Arizona, and recommend him for the Rule 5 selection,” Hahn said. “Up to 95 [mph] with some sink. Has a four-pitch mix.”

At the time he was drafted out of high school, Covey was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Facing an uncertain future he decided to attend the University of San Diego.

“My first year in college, there was an adjustment period in learning how to deal with [diabetes],” he told MiLB.com. “But ever since then, I’ve had everything under control. It’s almost nonexistent at this point. I got used to it as a freshman and it’s just a normal part of my life right now.”

The A’s picked Covey in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.