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Giants Designate Kai-Wei Teng For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they have selected right-handers Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale to their 40-man roster, protecting them from being available in the Rule 5 draft. They had one roster vacancy but opened another by designating righty Kai-Wei Teng for assignment.

Teng, 25, signed with the Twins as an international amateur out of Taiwan prior to the 2018 season. He was traded for the Giants the following year in the deal that shipped right-hander Sam Dyson to Minnesota at that year’s trade deadline. Teng slowly climbed the minor league ladder with the Giants, though he did so with generally middling results at each level along the way. Back in March, the righty made his big league debut just after Opening Day. He ultimately made just four multi-inning relief appearances in the majors, however, and struggled badly with a 9.82 ERA in 11 innings of work. Command was the right-hander’s primary issue, as he actually recorded more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven) during his brief stay on the big league roster.

Teng was optioned back to the minors in mid-April, but unfortunately did not see his numbers improve when he headed to Triple-A. He split his time at the level between the club’s rotation and bullpen, with 13 starts and ten relief appearances. Things did not go well for Teng, however, as he was torched to the tune of a 8.60 ERA across 75 1/3 innings of work. He struck out just 17% of opponents at the level this year while walking 12.3%, leaving him with a strikeout-to-walk ratio that would be untenable for any pitcher. Given Teng’s deep struggles, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Giants decided to part ways with the righty. San Francisco will now have one week to attempt to trade the righty or place him on waivers, where he would be available for any of the league’s 29 other clubs to claim.

Teng’s departure makes room on the 40-man roster for the additions of Seymour and Ragsdale. Ragsdale, 26, is a starting pitcher who missed the majority of the 2022 and ’23 seasons due to injury but returned strong in 2024. The right-hander began the season with his first taste of upper-minors action at the Double-A level and excelled, pitching to a 3.49 ERA in 67 innings of work across 14 starts. He struck out an excellent 33.1% of opponents faced, though he was held back somewhat by an elevated 11.5% walk rate. Even so, that was more than enough to earn Ragsdale a mid-season call-up to Triple-A. Unfortunately, Triple-A was not quite as forgiving for the right-hander as Double-A. He struggled in 13 appearances (12 starts) at the level with a 5.03 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work. His walk rate largely held steady at 11%, but his strikeout rate dipped to just 24.1% at the highest level of the minors.

Seymour, meanwhile, won’t turn 26 until next month. The right-hander was acquired by the Giants in the deal that sent Darin Ruf to the Mets and actually struggled through something of a down season at Triple-A this year, as he surrendered a 4.82 ERA in 134 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 22.1% of opponents while walking 10.1%. Prior to his struggles this year, however, Seymour had pitched to strong results in back-to-back seasons. In a 2022 season split between the Mets and Giants organizations, Seymour posted a 3.08 ERA in 111 innings between the Single-A and High-A levels while striking out 29.3% of opponents. The righty posted slightly diminished but still solid numbers in his first full season with the Giants last year at Double-A, as he pitched to a 3.99 ERA in 112 2/3 innings of work with a 24.4% strikeout rate.

Padres Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Padres announced this evening that they’ve selected left-hander Omar Cruz as well as right-handers Henry Baez and Ryan Bergert to their 40-man roster ahead of today’s Rule 5 Draft protection deadline. No corresponding moves were necessary, and San Diego’s 40-man currently stands at 37 players.

Cruz, 25, signed with the Padres out of Mexico prior to the 2018 season and was actually traded to the Pirates as part of the Joe Musgrove trade in January of 2021. He returned to the Padres organization last winter, however, when the club selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Now, he’s been added to the club’s roster to protect him from this year’s draft on the heels of a solid season split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Cruz was used primarily out of the bullpen in 2024 and looked good at Double-A with a 3.59 ERA and an eye-popping 35.4% strikeout rate in 47 2/3 innings. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A partway through the season, and while his ERA crept up to 4.42 in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League he still struck out a solid 28.7% of opponents, though that was hampered by a 13.8% walk rate.

Baez, 22, signed with San Diego out of the Dominican Republic and made his pro debut in 2021. Baez has primarily pitched out of the rotation during his career and returned to High-A to open the 2024 season after struggling badly in four late-season starts at the level last year. Things turned around in a big way this year, however, as he pitched to an excellent 2.95 ERA in 17 starts with the club’s Fort Wayne affiliate while striking out 24.8% of opponents. That success continued even following a promotion to Double-A midseason, as the right-hander posted a 3.06 ERA in nine starts down the stretch in his first taste of the upper minors. With that being said, that stretch of starts did come with a concerning drop in strikeout rate as he punched out just 15.1% of opponents in 50 innings against a 7.4% walk rate.

Bergert, 24, is perhaps the club’s most surprising addition as his most impressive season actually came in 2023 rather than this year. Last season, the right-hander pitched to an excellent 2.73 ERA in 105 2/3 innings of work split between the High-A and Double-A levels, including a 2.86 ERA and a 28.8% strikeout rate with the club’s San Antonio affiliate. That impressive debut did not translate over to 2024, however, as Bergert surrendered a 4.78 ERA in 98 innings across 23 starts in a repeat of the level this year as his strikeout rate dipped to just 20.9%. He struggled in the Arizona Fall League this year as well, surrendering 16 runs (12 earned) in 14 2/3 innings of work across five starts.

Red Sox Designate Bryan Mata, Isaiah Campbell For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced they’ve designated right-handers Bryan Mata and Isaiah Campbell for assignment. The moves create the necessary 40-man roster spots for the previously reported additions of Hunter Dobbins and Jhostynxon Garcia to the roster.

Mata, 25, was once among the most highly-touted pitchers in the Boston system. The Venezuela native posted excellent numbers in the low minors and earned a 40-man roster spot after the 2020 season. He unfortunately hasn’t made it to the big leagues four years later, largely because of injury. Mata underwent Tommy John surgery early in the ’21 campaign. He hasn’t topped 83 innings in a minor league season since then.

A hamstring strain limited him to 22 2/3 innings between four minor league levels this year. Mata turned in a 4.37 ERA as he tried to work to the majors. He has allowed 4.87 earned runs per nine through 87 career Triple-A frames. The Sox will likely non-tender him on Friday and try to bring him back on a minor league deal, but he could look for other opportunities if he hits free agency.

Campbell, 27, also lost most of the season to injury. Acquired from the Mariners last offseason for infielder Luis Urías, he only pitched 6 2/3 innings in a Sox uniform. Campbell was blitzed for 13 runs in that small sample, a far cry from the 2.83 ERA he posted in 27 appearances for the Mariners as a rookie. The Arkansas product missed time with both a shoulder impingement and elbow inflammation amidst a difficult year.

Phillies Outright John McMillon

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The Phillies announced that they have selected right-handers Moisés Chace, Mick Abel and Jean Cabrera to their 40-man roster. Fellow righty John McMillon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 40-man roster count is now 39. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had the Chace move on on X earlier today.

Chace, 22 in June, was an international signing of the Orioles who was flipped to the Phillies a few months ago when the O’s acquired left-hander Gregory Soto. Chace has posted some big strikeout numbers but also given out his fair share of walks during his time in the minors. He has logged 230 1/3 innings thus far with a 4.42 earned run average, 31.6% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate.

The control is clearly a work in progress but the Phillies are understandably intrigued by the punchouts. Baseball America currently lists him the #15 prospect in the club’s system, heaping praise on his fastball while noting that he also has a slider, sweeper and a changeup in his repertoire.

He hasn’t yet reached Triple-A and only has four starts at the Double-A level, so he likely won’t be an immediate option for their rotation. However, the Phils didn’t want to take the risk that some other club would try to stash him on their roster next year, so they will protect him from Rule 5 selection today. If he can better harness his arsenal, he will creep into the rotation picture in time.

Currently, the starting mix includes Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker. Suarez only has one year of club control remaining, which will open one spot. Walker has two years left on his contract but he’s been bumped from the rotation before and the Phils could look into moving him. Wheeler has three years left until he’s slated for free agency. Chace and other prospects like Andrew Painter will look to position themselves to step into those openings when they arrive.

Abel will also be in that mix. He was Philadelphia’s first-round pick from 2020, getting selected 15th overall. Since then, he has posted big strikeout numbers but also given out plenty of walks. He has 375 minor league innings under his belt at this point with a 4.78 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate. BA still likes him enough to rank him 12th in the system but he’ll obviously need to rein in his stuff if he’s to unlock his potential.

Cabrera, 23, was an international signing out of Venezuela. He has thrown 287 minor league innings thus far with a 3.76 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. He will eventually be a part of the club’s rotation picture but is more of a long-term play. He has yet to reach Triple-A and has less than 30 innings at the Double-A level.

McMillon, 27 in January, was just claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. He has flashed some strikeout stuff but also poor control so far. In 130 2/3 innings in the minors, he has a 4.75 ERA, 35.3% strikeout rate but a 17.8% walk rate. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, therefore providing the Phils with some non-roster depth.

Guardians Designate Three Players For Assignment

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The Guardians added four players to their 40-man roster before tonight’s Rule 5 deadline: pitchers Franco Aleman, Nic Enright, and Doug Nikhazy and outfielder Petey Halpin. To open 40-man spots, Cleveland designated former top outfield prospect George Valera and relievers Peter Strzelecki and Connor Gillispie for assignment.

The most notable piece of news here is the club opting to part ways with Valera. The 24-year-old is just a couple of years removed from being a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport but has been plagued by injuries over the past two years. Valera underwent offseason hand surgery prior to the 2023 season and ultimately did not make his season debut until May of that year, ultimately playing just 11 games prior to June 17 of that year due to additional injury woes. Overall, he hit just .211/.343/.375 despite an excellent 16% walk rate last year.

Things improved in his age-23 season with the Guardians this year on offense, as he hit .248/.337/.452 with 17 home runs, a major step in right direction after slugging just ten the year prior. Unfortunately, Valera was once again limited by injury and played just 90 games in 2024 before going under the knife again back in September. That surgery came with a six-to-nine month recovery timetable, which left him poised to start 2025 on the injured list and likely not be available as a potential big league contributor until the second half of next year at the earliest.

Given the former top prospect’s injury woes and relatively modest production at Triple-A, the Guardians evidently decided to cut him from the 40-man roster. Now, Valera will be available for any interested club to claim off waivers. If he manages to clear waivers, the Guardians will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues and retain him in the organization for 2025. Importantly, Valera does not have minor league options remaining so any acquiring club would either need to carry him on their active roster or sneak him through waivers themselves later in the offseason.

As for Strzelecki, the 30-year-old right-hander has appeared in the majors in each of the past three seasons but only arrived in Cleveland back in March. Prior to this year, Strzelecki made his big league debut for the Brewers back in 2022 and pitched quite well with a 2.83 ERA and 2.94 FIP in 35 innings of work. The right-hander suffered a down year in 2023, however, as he pitched to a 4.54 ERA in 35 2/3 frames for Milwaukee before being swapped to the Diamondbacks at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for southpaw Andrew Chafin. Strzelecki made just one appearance in a Dbacks uniform last year where he threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

The righty was squeezed off of Arizona’s 40-man roster in the run-up to Opening Day this year in order to make room for the addition of Tucker Barnhart, and the Guardians pounced on the opportunity to bring him into the fold. He served as an up-and-down reliever for Cleveland this year and pitched quite well in a limited sample with a 2.31 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 11 2/3 innings of work, though that wasn’t enough to earn a more permanent spot in a loaded Guardians bullpen. With Strzelecki set to enter 2025 without any option years remaining, the Guardians opted to part ways with the right-hander, who could garner interest from rival clubs on the waiver wire now that he’s available.

Gillispie, meanwhile, made his big league debut with the Guardians just this year. He pitched to a 2.25 ERA in eight innings of work in the majors to go along with a rather pedestrian 4.05 ERA in 27 appearances (15 starts) at Triple-A. The 27-year-old will enter the 2025 campaign with options remaining, which could make him particularly attractive to a pitching-needy club as an optionable young arm with the ability to pitch both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.

As for the quartet of prospects, each will be protected from the Rule 5 Draft next month now that they’re on the 40-man roster. Aleman, 24, turned in a dominant season in relief at the Triple-A level with a 1.99 ERA and a 36.6% strikeout rate in 24 appearances. The 27-year-old Enright was picked in the Rule 5 draft one before by the Marlins but was eventually returned to the Guardians. A two-way player for much of his career, the right-hander turned to pitching full-time in 2024 and looked quite good in a small sample as he posted a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work with an incredible 49.2% strikeout rate. Nikhazy, a 25-year-old lefty, split 2024 between the Double- and Triple-A rotations and posted solid numbers with a 2.98 ERA and 25.4% strikeout rate in 123 2/3 innings of work, potentially putting him on the radar for big league starts in 2025. Halpin is the lone position player the Guardians protected, and the club’s third-round pick in the 2020 draft and slashed .233/.314/.399 in 90 games at Triple-A this year.

Cubs Designate Brennen Davis, Adbert Alzolay For Assignment

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The Cubs made a series of roster moves ahead of today’s deadline for protecting players from the Rule 5 draft. Per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune on X, the club has selected outfielder Owen Caissie and infielder Ben Cowles. To open roster spots for those two, outfielder Brennen Davis and right-hander Adbert Alzolay have been designated for assignment. It was reported earlier today that Alzolay was likely to be DFA’d. Kiley McDaniel reported on Caissie and Cowles (X links) prior to the full slate of moves being revealed.

Davis, 25, was once one of the top prospects in baseball. A second-round pick of the Cubs in 2018, he tore through the minors and Baseball America ranked him the #16 prospect in the league going into 2022. He had slashed .260/.375/.494 across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2021 for a 140 wRC+ and seemed to be on the cusp of an exciting debut.

Unfortunately, his stock has fallen since then and he still hasn’t cracked the majors. He required back surgery in the middle of 2022, which was followed by core surgery in 2023 and then a fractured ankle in 2024. Through those ailments, he has only played 179 games over the past three years, slashing a paltry .200/.319/.345 while on the field.

The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster two years ago, to keep him out of the 2022 Rule 5 draft, but the ongoing injury woes have nudged him off the roster. They will now have a week to figure out what’s next, whether that’s a trade or putting him on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so a trade would have to come together in the next five days. He does still have one option year remaining, so perhaps some club would be interested in taking a flier on him to see if he can stay healthy and get back on track.

Caissie, 22, is now in the position Davis was in a few years ago. A second-round pick from 2020, he is now ranked as one of the top 100 prospects in the league. He has slashed .278/.383/.470 over the past four years for a 129 wRC+. Given his prospect status and the fact that he has already played a full season at the Triple-A level, he is one of the most obvious roster additions of today.

His path to the big league club isn’t clear right now, as the Cubs have Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Mike Tauchman all in the mix for playing time in the outfield and the designated hitter slot. Perhaps an offseason move will change that picture or an injury will open some playing time, though time will tell on that.

Cowles, 25 in February, was a Yankee prospect until coming over to the Cubs a few months ago in the deadline deal that sent Mark Leiter Jr. to the Bronx. He produced a .077/.294/.077 line after that trade but the Cubs will be banking on what he did beforehand. He slashed .294/.376/.472 in 88 Double-A games before switching clubs, also stealing 14 bases while playing the three infield spots to the left of first base. He’ll give the Cubs some depth around the dirt but has just three games of Triple-A experience, so might be ticketed for more time on the farm.

Tigers Designate Three Players For Assignment

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The Tigers designated infielder Eddys Leonard and relievers Ricky Vanasco and Brendan White for assignment. Their spots on the 40-man roster will go to righties Chase Lee, Tyler Mattison and Tyler Owens. Detroit kept that trio out of next month’s Rule 5 draft.

Leonard has held a spot on Detroit’s 40-man roster since they acquired him in a minor trade with the Dodgers in August 2023. The 24-year-old infielder hit .253/.320/.435 between three minor league levels this year. He hasn’t appeared in the majors. Vanasco also landed in Detroit via a small trade with Los Angeles — this one coming this past July. He pitched two scoreless innings at the major league level and has four career appearances. White, who turned 26 yesterday, pitched to a 5.03 ERA across 40 2/3 innings as a rookie in 2023. He spent most of this season on the minor league injured list.

The three players joining the roster are all upper level bullpen arms. Lee, an Alabama product, came over from the Rangers at this year’s deadline in the Andrew Chafin trade. The 26-year-old righty turned in a 2.75 ERA across 36 innings between the two organizations. He punched out 30% of batters faced with a tidy 6.8% walk rate.

Mattison, a 6’4″ pitcher out of Bryant, posted excellent strikeout numbers this year. He fanned nearly 38% of hitters en route to a 2.41 ERA across 59 2/3 innings between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie. While the 25-year-old was a bit more advanced than most hitters he faced, he pitched well enough that another team could’ve tried to stash him in the middle innings.

Owens, 24 in January, has been traded twice since entering pro ball as a 13th-round pick in 2021. Originally an Atlanta draftee, he went to the Rangers last offseason for outfielder J.P. Martínez. Texas dealt him to Detroit as part of the Carson Kelly deadline deal. The 5’10” hurler put up a 2.96 ERA while striking out just over a quarter of opponents in Double-A this year.

Rangers Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Rangers have selected the contract of right-hander Emiliano Teodo ahead of today’s Rule 5 Draft protection deadline, as first reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC2. The Rangers also announced that they’ve selected the contracts of infielder Max Acosta and right-hander Winston Santos. Texas’s 40-man roster now stands at 39 following the club’s decision to return 2024 Rule 5 Draft pick Carson Coleman to the Yankees.

Teodo, 23, has spent the past fours years in the Rangers system after making his pro debut back in 2021. The righty began his career pitching exclusively in relief but moved into a rotation in 2022. Despite rather pedestrian numbers in the lower minors including a 4.52 ERA in 61 2/3 innings at High-A last year, Teodo impressed in the Arizona Fall League that autumn with eight scoreless relief appearances where he struck out an eye-popping 48.7% of opponents faced. That exciting performance earned the right-hander a job in the Rangers’ Double-A rotation this season, where he has continued to excel. In 86 1/3 innings of work in 2024 spread across 20 appearances (19 starts), Teodo dominated during his first taste of upper minors action to the tune of a 1.98 ERA and a 30.7% strikeout rate with the club’s Frisco affiliate and even started the 2024 Futures Games for the AL.

Despite those fantastic numbers, he’s nonetheless struggled with his control throughout his time in the minors, and that only worsened this year as his walk rate reached an unsustainable 14%. While that’s not a figure that would play in the majors even when paired with a strikeout rate north of 30%, it’s not hard to imagine Teodo’s impressive stuff translating to success at the highest level as soon as 2025 if he were to move back to relief. Given that potential for near-term success in the big leagues, it’s hardly a surprise that the Rangers opted to protect Teodo from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Now that he’s on the 40-man roster, it’s possible he could find himself in the mix for a big league bullpen job at some point in 2025, though it’s also easy to imagine the Rangers deciding to try and iron out the righty’s control problems in hopes he may have a future in the rotation.

Acosta, meanwhile, is a 22-year-old who signed with the Rangers out of Venezuela and made his pro debut in 2021 as well. Primarily a shortstop, Acosta has also played plenty of second base throughout his time in the minors while posting solid but unspectacular offensive numbers. The infielder took a step forward with the bat at Double-A this year, however, slashing a respectable .288/.353/.425 in 104 games. Of particular note is Acosta’s dramatic reduction in strikeout rate, which dropped from 21.1% in 2023 to 13.4% this year. Acosta combines that improved contact ability with strong baserunning skills, as he’s swiped 96 bases over the past three years. That combination of speed and contact ability at a premium position may have been enough to earn Acosta consideration for the club’s 40-man roster already, but he sealed his case by catching fire during the Arizona Fall League this year with a .338/.413/.521 slash line in 80 trips to the plate.

Santos, 22, signed with the Rangers out of the Dominican Republic and made his pro debut in 2021 alongside Acosta and Teodo. The righty turned in a brutal season at Triple-A last year, surrendering a 6.29 ERA in 98 2/3 innings of work. He managed to turn things around in his second taste of action at the level, however, as he posted a 2.80 ERA and a 30.5% strikeout rate in 12 starts (64 1/3 innings). That performance earned him the bump up to Double-A, where his struggles from the previous year resurfaced in his first taste of the new level. In ten starts, Santos posted a 4.89 ERA while maintaining an impressive 29.5% strikeout rate against a 7.2% walk rate. Santos’s struggles at Double-A came primarily from issues with the long ball, as he surrendered eight homers in just 46 frames. Despite those struggles, Santos’s high strikeout rates seemingly convinced the Rangers to play it safe and roster him rather than run the risk of losing him in next month’s Rule 5 draft.

Twins Select Marco Raya, Travis Adams

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The Twins have selected the contract of right-handers Marco Raya and Travis Adams. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN first reported Raya’s selection (on X). Minnesota’s 40-man roster count is up to 37.

Raya, one of the Twins’ top pitching prospects and coming off a solid 2024 showing, was an obvious add. The 2020 fourth-rounder spent most of the season pitching in Double-A as a 21-year-old and holding his own against much more advanced competition. He moved up to Triple-A for one start late in the season and fired five shutout frames. Overall, the 6’1″, 175-pound righty tossed 97 2/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate.

Raya finished the season ranked sixth or better among Twins prospects at each of Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs. He’s undersized relative to other right-handed starters but sits 96 mph with his four-seamer. Scouting reports on the right-hander praise the plus to elite spin rates on that four-seamer and his mid-80s slider, both of which are bat-missing offerings. He’ll also mix in a changeup, curveball and cutter, rounding out a deep arsenal to help him keep opponents off balance regardless of handedness. Raya isn’t likely to be a candidate for the Opening Day roster, but he’ll be in the mix if the Twins are looking for rotation help next summer.

Adams, 25, was a sixth-round pick out of Sacramento State. The 6’1″ hurler has worked out of the rotation in the minors. Adams started 22 of 26 appearances between the top two minor league levels this year. He turned in a cumulative 3.90 earned run average over 127 innings. Adams struck out a league average 22.6% of batters faced against a sub-7% walk rate. He’ll serve as rotation depth for Minnesota and could debut next season.

Royals Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Royals have selected left-hander Noah Cameron, right-hander Luinder Avila, and right-hander Eric Cerantola to their 40-man roster ahead of this evening’s Rule 5 Draft protection deadline, per a team announcement. No corresponding moves were necessary, and the club’s 40-man roster now stands at 37 players.

Cameron, 25, was a seventh-round pick by the Royals in 2021. A starter at every level of the minors so far, the southpaw struggled badly in his first taste of Double-A action last year but made significant strides this year. After seeing Cameron pitch to a solid 3.63 ERA in 16 starts at that level, the Royals promoted him to Triple-A where he really took off over nine starts down the stretch. In 54 1/3 Triple-A innings, Cameron posted a 2.32 ERA while striking out 29% of opponents and walking just 5.1%. That late-season breakout at the highest level of the minors surely made it an easy decision to roster the lefty ahead of today’s protection deadline.

Avila, 23, signed with the Royals out of Venezuela and made his pro debut back in 2018. The righty moved to stateside ball in 2021 as a starting pitcher and has generally stayed in that role throughout his time in the minors. This year, Avila made 19 starts for the club’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas, pitching to a solid 3.81 ERA in 82 2/3 innings of work with a 22.9% strikeout rate. That earned Avila a promotion to Triple-A, though he was shelled for five runs in 4 1/3 innings of work in his lone start at the level this year. Even so, the Royals evidently decided he was close enough to the majors to warrant protection from the Rule 5 Draft next month.

Cerantola, 24, was selected by Kansas City in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. The right-hander has mostly acted as a multi-inning reliever throughout his time in the minors and posted big strikeout numbers in Double-A this year, punching out 31.7% of opponents faced. Unfortunately, that was accompanied by an untenable 16.2% walk rate. The right-hander’s 2.78 ERA in 58 1/3 innings at the level earned him a midseason promotion to Triple-A, but those underlying issues remained following the promotion. In 14 1/3 frames at the minors’ highest level, Cerantola walked 12.5% of opponents but made up for it with a 31.3% strikeout rate while posting a 3.77 ERA for the Royals’ Omaha affiliate. As an upper-minors relief prospect with impressive stuff, it’s hardly a surprise the Royals decided to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft rather than risk a team attempting to stash him in their bullpen next year.

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