The Minnesota Twins have selected right-hander J.R. Graham from the Atlanta Braves organization in the major league portion of the annual Rule 5 draft.
The pick was made Thursday at the winter meetings in San Diego.
The 24-year-old Graham pitched last season for Double-A Mississippi, where he went 1-5 with a 5.55 ERA in 71 1-3 innings with 26 walks and 50 strikeouts in 27 games, including 19 starts. Graham was drafted in the fourth round out of Santa Clara by the Braves in 2011.
Graham must be kept on the 25-man major league roster or be offered back to the Braves for half of the $50,000 drafting fee. Otherwise the teams can work out a trade. Ryan Pressly was the last Rule 5 pick to make the Twins roster.
