These sleeper prospects earned 40-man roster spots

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Tuesday was decision day for all 30 teams. By 6 p.m. ET, every club had made decisions about who to add to their respective 40-man rosters, and a good amount of prospects were added to protect them from December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Players first signed at age 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn’t stay on the big league active roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.

For this year, that means an international prospect or high school Draft pick signed in 2020 at age 18 or younger had to be protected. A college player — or 19-year-old high school player — taken in the 2021 Draft was in the same position. All four players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects who were eligible were protected. Additionally, there were 96 players on organizational Top 30 lists that had to be added or exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. A total of 38 of those (39.6 percent) did earn roster spots, higher than last year, but the second-lowest percentage over the past 10 years.

Beyond the ranked prospects, there were a number of intriguing players not on Top 30s who earned roster spots, 21 in total. It’s a list worth keeping an eye on. In the past, players like Steven Kwan have gone from unranked prospect to 40-man guy to getting Rookie of the Year votes the next season (Kwan finished third in AL ROY voting in 2022). That same year, Félix Bautista went from the unranked to serving as the Orioles closer. A year ago, Cade Smith was on the list, and he went on to play an integral part in the Guardians’ postseason bullpen.

Here are 10 unranked players who hope they can follow on that path now that they’ve earned roster spots:

Max Acosta, INF, Rangers: When he signed with the Rangers for $1.65 million in 2019 he drew comparisons to Gleyber Torres. Acosta started off slowly, with an OPS hovering around .700 in 2022 and 2023, but came on this year thanks to a better approach, capped off by a .338/.413/.521 showing in the Arizona Fall League.

Tyler Callihan, 2B/OF, Reds: Injuries, including Tommy John surgery a month into his first full season, have kept Callihan from developing as hoped since getting $1.5 million in the third round of the 2019 Draft. He still has an impressive left-handed swing and finished the 2024 season strongly before performing well in the AFL. Though not a burner, he’s an aggressive baserunner who can steal bags and is looking like he can help out at second base and left field.

Jack Dashwood, LHP, Angels: Lefties who are 6-foot-6 don’t grow on trees. A 12th-round pick in 2019, Dashwood topped 100 innings in 2021 but has had injury issues since. He only threw 10 innings during the regular season, but his showing in the AFL (10 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 17 K) very likely would have drawn interest from other teams as a lefty reliever in the Rule 5 Draft.

Jack Dreyer, LHP, Dodgers: The Dodgers’ system and Top 30 are too deep for Dreyer to make it, but the 2020 undrafted free agent out of Iowa put up impressive numbers in 2024 while reaching Triple-A: 2.20 ERA, 11.3 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, using a sneaky fastball and slider to miss bats.

Caleb Durbin, INF, Yankees: The AFL stolen base king has now had two solid Fall League campaigns (1.008 combined OPS with 50 steals in 53 tries) and reached Triple-A during the regular season. GM Brian Cashman has mentioned him as a potential internal candidate to play second base on Opening Day next year, and he’s shown some defensive flexibility with time at three infield spots and a little time in both center and left.

Nic Enright, RHP, Guardians: Enright was actually taken in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft by the Marlins, then was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and was sent back to the Guardians. He did appear in 16 games this past season in Triple-A and was very sharp, with a 1.06 ERA, 31 K, 5 BB, .155 BAA in 17 IP and his typically high spin rates.

Tyler Mattison, RHP, Tigers: A senior sign in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft, Mattison looked headed towards the big league bullpen when he reached Double-A in 2023 and finished with a 2.41 ERA and 13.7 K/9 rate. But he missed all of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, making this one of the more intriguing 40-man adds.

Luis Mey, RHP, Reds: Mey has always had premium, late-inning reliever stuff, but he had never been able to land it consistently in the zone (10.3 K/9, 7.0 BB/9 in 2024). But something clicked this fall as the AFL’s Reliever of the Year saved six games and gave up just one hit over 8 2/3 scoreless innings, walking only two. If that continues, seeing him close big league games seems very realistic.

Carson Ragsdale, RHP, Giants: Injuries slowed the 6-foot-8 right-hander early, but he’s coming off a year where he logged 120 2/3 IP while reaching Triple-A. He has an outstanding breaking ball that misses bats; he might be best suited for a bullpen role, but the size and the array of stuff give him a chance to start.

Tim Tawa, UTIL, D-backs: The Stanford product was an 11th-round pick back in 2021, and he’s played all over the diamond — every position but pitcher and catcher. He has the chance to be a utility type with thump, one who has hit 53 homers over the past two years in Double- and Triple-A, albeit in hitting friendly environments.

Other unranked rostered players: Travis Adams, RHP, Twins; Ryan Cusick, RHP, A’s; Joe Elbis, RHP, D-backs; Matt Koperniak, OF, Cardinals; Chase Lee, RHP, Tigers; Jake Mangum, OF, Rays; Tyler Owens, RHP, Tigers; Chad Patrick, RHP, Brewers; Jesús Rodríguez, C, Yankees; Kade Strowd, RHP Orioles; Matt Svanson, RHP, Cardinals