Covey (oblique) was selected by the White Sox with the ninth pick in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Covey has back-of-the-rotation upside, but he is not ready to turn over a big league lineup. The 25-year-old righty has just 29.1 innings of experience above High-A, and while his 1.84 ERA at Double-A looks nice, he posted an ugly 26:17 K:BB in that span. The White Sox will need to keep him on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the A's. An oblique injury ended his 2016 season in May, but he should be ready for the start of spring training. Look for Covey to be used occasionally as a mop-up man in 2017.