Ronan Kopp was added to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 40-man roster before the deadline on Tuesday in order to be protected from potential selection by another organization in the Rule 5 Draft in December.
All teams had until 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday to add players to their 40-man rosters to prevent them from being eligible in the Rule 5 Draft taking place on Dec. 10 to conclude this year’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.
Picks in the Rule 5 Draft are in reverse order from that season’s standings. Selecting teams pay $100,000 to the club from which a player was taken from. Teams are not required to make a selection.
Players taken during the first round of the Rule 5 draft must remain with their new team’s Major League roster for the entire season, or have the opportunity to be returned to their former team.
Kopp seemingly takes the spot of Robinson Ortiz, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night in exchange for Minor League pitcher Tyler Gough.
Though, even with Kopp’s addition, the Dodgers still have one open spot on their current 40-man roster. They previously went through some roster churning that saw Ryan Ward get added onto the 40-man, while Tony Gonsolin and Michael Grove were removed and have subsequently become free agents.
Kopp, a Baldwin Park, Calif., native, just completed his fifth Minor League season since being taken in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Kopp spent the year with Double-A Tulsa before earning a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City in July. He went a combined 2-4 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 49 appearances.
Dodgers Rule 5 Draft protection history
In 2023, the Dodgers added Nick Frasso, Landon Knack and Hunter Feduccia to their 40-man roster, protecting them from being selected by another organization.
Frasso missed the entirety of the 2024 season because of shoulder surgery, while Knack provided pitching depth and was an innings eater en route to helping the Dodgers win the World Series last year. Feduccia made his MLB debut during the 2024 season but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team deal this year.
Last offseason, the Dodgers only protected Jack Dreyer from the Rule 5 Draft. Dreyer went on to become a key contributor out of the bullpen in 2025.
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