Cincinnati Reds select OF Ronnie Dawson, lose P Carson Fulmer in MiLB Rule 5 Draft

The last 16 months have been a whirlwind for pitcher Carson Fulmer, former 1st round draftee by the Chicago White Sox. In that time, he’s been plucked off waivers five times, going from the Sox to the Detroit Tigers, on to the Pittsburgh Pirates, from Pittsburgh to the Baltimore Orioles, from the Orioles back to Pittsburgh, and finally to the Cincinnati Reds.

It was with the Reds where we’d hoped he’d found a home, reunited with pitching coach Derek Johnson who had worked with him so brilliantly in their time together at Vanderbilt. For a time, it looked as if they’d figured something out, too - Fulmer allowed just a lone ER in his first 9 games (10.0 IP) after beginning the 2021 season on the Opening Day roster with the Reds. Things quickly went very, very south for him, though, and he was designated for assignment by them on May 21st, eventually clearing waivers and remaining with the Reds in their minor league system.

It’s that final subordinate clause that’s the relevant part today, I’ll add. Despite MLB and the MLBPA being firmly in lockout territory as a new Collective Bargaining Agreement snares any and all major league transactions, the minor league section of the Rule 5 Draft went on this afternoon. And since Fulmer was back in the minors under Reds control, that left him exposed to it - exposure that landed him selected in the 2nd round by none other than the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale shared the news on Twitter.

I suppose I’ve buried the lede here a bit, given that the headline up top says the Reds selected OF Ronnie Dawson out of the Houston Astros system. I guess I just got caught up in the Reds having a guy who broke camp with them last year on their Opening Day roster getting taken in this, which is somewhat of a hoot.

Anyway...Dawson is a Grove City, OH native who played baseball at the Ohio State University, turning a stellar career there into a 2nd round selection by Houston in the 2016 MLB Draft. He eventually made it into the bigs this year for a 5 AB cameo that saw him pick up a hit, a walk, and score twice in a trio of April games. That came despite a rather pedestrian minor league career of hitting .246/.340/.404 across 2257 PA at all levels, though he does have defensive experience across the outfield.

All that was good enough for the Reds to use the 13th overall selection on him, as JJ Cooper of Baseball America relayed. The Reds later confirmed said selection on Twitter, too.

Welcome to the Reds, Ronnie. Congrats on your future All Star appearance, Carson.