The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contracts of right-handed starter Chase De Jong, catcher/third baseman Kyle Farmer and right-handed reliever Jacob Rhame to protect from potentially losing the prospects in the upcoming 2016 Rule 5 Draft.
The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is now full. Outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo, taken in the 21st round of the 2012 Draft, was not added and can now be lost via the Rule 5 process.
Teams had until 5 p.m. PT on Friday to place applicable players on their 40-man rosters. Players initially signed at 18 years old needed to be added within five seasons or they became eligible to be selected in Rule 5.
Those who signed at age 19 or older had to be protected within four seasons. Players picked during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft cost $50,000 and must spend the entire season on the new team’s active roster or be offered back to their previous club for $25,000.
Scavuzzo spent the entirety of his fifth professional season with the Drillers. In his first time playing at the Double-A level, Scavuzzo hit .266/.318/.397 with 21 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 39 RBI in 112 games.
The 22-year-old De Jong went 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 141.2 innings over 25 starts for Double-A Tulsa. He ranked first in the Texas League in wins and WHIP, second in ERA and fourth in strikeouts.
De Jong was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year and was included on the league’s post-season All-Star Team. He was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in September and allowed just one run while collecting eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings in his first start.
The right-hander then started two games in the playoffs, allowing a combined nine runs and tallying nine strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. De Jong was selected out of Woodrow Wilson High School (Long Beach, Calif.) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2012 Draft.
He was acquired from Toronto in July 2015, along with Tim Locastro, in exchange for a bonus slot.
Farmer batted .296/.342/.465 with 11 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 18 RBI through 39 games with the Drillers before sustaining a broken right wrist on May 29. That sidelined the catcher until July 22, when Farmer joined Rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers.
He went 5-for-17 with two home runs, four RBI and one walk, then returned to the Drillers. Farmer finished the year hitting .256/.323/.395 with 18 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 31 RBI in what was his second season at the Double-A level.
Farmer was initially selected by the New York Yankees in the 35th round of the 2012 Draft. He returned to the University of Georgia, and was taken in the eighth round by the Dodgers the following year. Farmer participated in the 2015 MLB Futures Game.
Rhame allowed three runs in six innings over six appearances during Spring Training. He was assigned to Oklahoma City, where the 23-year-old pitched to a 3.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 54 games. The Dodgers selected Rhame in the sixth round of the 2013 Draft.
