Today is the deadline to protect Rule 5-eligible players.
The Royals have added pitchers Noah Cameron, Luinder Avila, and Eric Cerantola to the 40-man roster ahead of today’s deadline to protect Rule 5-eligible players.
Cameron was one of top Royals pitchers in the upper minors, posting a 3.63 ERA in 16 starts at Double-A before improving upon a promotion to Triple-A with a 2.32 ERA in nine starts. Overall he had 149 strikeouts in 128 2⁄3 innings with just 2.5 walks-per-nine-innings. The 25-year-old lefty is ranked as the #12 prospect in the farm system by MLB Pipeline and #14 by Baseball America, and could be a candidate for the MLB rotation at some point next year.
Avila is a 23-year-old right-hander out of Venezuela who posted a 3.81 ERA in 19 starts for Northwest Arkansas with nearly a strikeout per-inning. He did have an increase in his walk rate, but he held his own in the Arizona Fall League with a 3.07 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14 2⁄3 innings.
Cerantola is a former fifth-round pick out of Mississippi State who was born in Canada. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a solid 2.97 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A this year, with 101 strikeouts in 72 2⁄3 innings, but 50 walks. He has a big 6’5’’ frame and could compete for a bullpen spot if he can improve his command.
Among the notable players the Royals didn’t protect – catcher Luca Tresh, infielders Cam Devanney, Tyler Tolbert, outfielder John Rave, pitchers Chandler Champlain, Tyson Guerrero, Ben Hernandez, Noah Murdock, Anthony Simonelli, and Jacob Wallace. Any of them can be selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft, but must remain on the MLB roster all season or be offered back to the Royals. The Rule 5 draft will be held on December 11 at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
The Royals previously added pitcher Evan Sisk to the roster. The Royals’ 40-man roster now has 37 players.