Detroit Tigers select right-hander Mason Englert from Texas Rangers in 2022 Rule 5 draft

SAN DIEGO — The Detroit Tigers selected right-hander Mason Englert from the Texas Rangers in the 2022 Rule 5 draft.

The Tigers were positioned for the sixth selection in Wednesday's draft, but president of baseball operations Scott Harris actually picked fifth overall. One team ahead of the Tigers — the Kansas City Royals — could not make a selection due to a full 40-man roster.

The Tigers' 40-man roster is now at 39 players.

"He pounded the zone throughout the minor leagues," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Wednesday night. "He flashed four swing-and-miss weapons and it felt like he was getting better throughout the season. It's going to be fun to see him take that next step and compete against major league hitters in spring training."

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For the pick, the Tigers must pay $100,000 to the Rangers. If the Tigers want to keep Englert, he must stay on the 26-man roster for the entire 2023 regular season, or be offered back to the Rangers for $50,000.

The Tigers plan to bring Englert to spring training as a starting pitcher.

"We intend to bring him to camp stretched out," Harris said. "I don't think we're going to commit to a specific role. We're excited to get a pitcher like that in front of (pitching coaches Chris Fetter, Robin Lund and Juan Nieves) and see if they can help him take that next step in his development."

Englert, a fourth-round pick in 2018, posted a 3.64 ERA with 31 walks and 136 strikeouts over 118⅔ innings in 24 starts last season for High-A Hickory (21 starts) and Double-A Frisco (three starts). He averaged 10.3 strikeouts and 2.4 walks per nine innings.

The 23-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2019, throws a 92-96 mph fastball, changeup, slider and curveball.

"He hasn't been pitching very long," Harris said. "... I think for him, there's a chance the stuff will tick up even more another year out of surgery. We think he has the shapes and the power that can compete against major league hitters. We're going to see if he can do it."

Englert ranked as the Rangers' No. 29 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and is known for pounding the strike zone and missing bats in the process. He became the Tigers' No. 25 prospect.

Before the 2018 draft, Englert attended Forney High School in Texas. As a senior, he finished 11-1 with a 0.57 ERA and set a Texas high school record with a 55⅓-inning scoreless streak.

"Anytime a young starter has multiple swing-and-miss secondary weapons, that catches our eye," Harris said. "We always think pitchers can get better. We always think position players can get better. But someone who has already performed this well and has been a dependable strike thrower gives us an exciting arm to bring in."

The Tigers did not lose any players in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, but they lost two players — third baseman Dane Myers to the Miami Marlins and right-handed reliever Nick Kuzia to the Colorado Rockies — in the minor-league phase. Players selected in the minor-league portion aren't subject to roster restrictions with their new organizations.

After getting Englert, the Tigers acquired right-handed reliever Layne Henderson from the Houston Astros in the minor-league phase. The 26-year-old, a 30th-round pick in 2018, appeared in 34 games out of the bullpen for Double-A Corpus Christi (28 games) and Triple-A Sugar Land (six games) last season.

Henderson logged a 3.54 ERA with 24 walks and 68 strikeouts across 53⅓ innings.

In past years, the Tigers have used MLB Rule 5 picks on outfielder Akil Baddoo (2020), right-hander Rony García (2019), righty Reed Garrett (2018), outfielder Victor Reyes (2017) and left-hander Daniel Stumpf (2016).

Reyes played five seasons for the Tigers before being removed from the 40-man roster and electing free agency in November. Baddoo and García remain with the organization as members of the 40-man roster.

Some of the most notable Rule 5 picks since 2006: Joakim Soria, Josh Hamilton, R.A. Dickey, Darren O'Day, Ender Inciarte, Ryan Pressly, Hector Rondon, Odúbel Herrera, Delino DeShields Jr., Mark Canha, Ji-Man Choi, Anthony Santander, Brad Keller and Garrett Whitlock.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter@EvanPetzold.