The Los Angeles Dodgers added pitching prospects Nick Frasso and Landon Knack and catcher Hunter Feduccia to their 40-man roster to protect them from potentially getting selected by another organization in the Rule 5 Draft next month. The Dodgers 40-man roster now sits at 38 players.
All teams had until 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday to add players to their 40-man rosters in order to prevent them from being eligible in the Rule 5 Draft that’s being held Wednesday, December 6, on the final day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville.
Players signed at age 18 or younger become eligible after five seasons, while those who signed at age 19 or older are eligible within four seasons.
Frasso and Knack were locks to be protected by the Dodgers, while Feduccia was more on the fringe of being added, but he will likely be the club’s third catcher in 2024.
Frasso posted a 3.77 ERA with 107 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP across 93 innings last season and has a career MiLB ERA of 2.96 with 191 punchouts in 152 innings.
The 25-year-old is ranked as the Dodgers top pitching prospect and the fourth prospect in their system, according to MLB Pipeline, along with the No. 65 prospect in baseball.
Knack posted a 2.51 ERA across 100.1 innings last season with 99 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP.
The 26-year-old is the Dodgers’ No. 9 prospect who projects as a middle- or back-of-the-rotation starter at the MLB level. Most known for his command, Knack saw his fastball velocity tick up in recent years, which has improved his stock.
Feduccia is only the Dodgers No. 29 prospect, but his bat looks MLB ready after hitting .279/.387/.451 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI in Triple-A Oklahoma City this past season.
The 26-year-old projects as a backup, but with Diego Cartaya the only catching depth on the 40-man roster and still developing, Feduccia could prove valuable in 2024 if the need arises.
Notable Dodgers prospects not added include Kendall Williams (who was part of the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game), José Ramos (No. 19 prospect), Alec Gamboa, Yeiner Fernandez (No. 26), John Rooney, Braydon Fisher, Ryan Ward, Jerming Rosario, Carlos Duran and Edgardo Henriquez. All of them are now eligible to be taken in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
Dodgers Rule 5 Draft protection history
In November 2022, the Dodgers added Michael Busch, Diego Cartaya, Jonny DeLuca and Andy Pages to the 40-man roster, with Busch and DeLuca going on to make their MLB debuts in the 2023 season. The Dodgers ended up losing Gus Varland to the Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Noda to the Oakland Athletics and Jose Hernandez to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
All players taken during the first round of the draft must remain on the selecting team’s Major League roster for the entire season or be offered back to the previous club. If they are offered back, the original club may choose to take them back or allow the selecting organization to keep them.
That was the case for Varland, who ended up returning to the Dodgers when the Brewers removed him from their roster. Both Noda and Hernandez found success with their respective clubs.
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