Blue Jays select teen right-hander Luciano from Royals in Rule 5 draft
LAS VEGAS — The Toronto Blue Jays picked up right-handed pitcher Elvis Luciano from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday in the Rule 5 draft while losing Canadian right-hander Jordan Romano in the selection process.
Luciano, an 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is 9-6 with a 3.37 earned-run average through two seasons in rookie league affiliates with Arizona and Kansas City.
He signed with the Diamondbacks as a 16-year-old international free agent on Oct. 1, 2016.
Toronto will need to keep Luciano on its 25-man major-league roster for the entire 2019 season or offer him back to the Royals for US$50,000, half the price the Blue Jays paid to draft him.