The Los Angeles Dodgers expanded their 40-man roster to include pitching prospects Nick Frasso and Landon Knack as well as catcher Hunter Feduccia in order to guard against the possibility of them being taken by another team in the Rule 5 Draft the following month. There are currently 38 players on the Dodgers 40-man roster.

To avoid having players eligible for the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, December 6, the last day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, teams had until Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT to add players to their 40-man rosters.

In contrast to those who signed at age 19, who are eligible after four seasons, those who signed at age 18 or younger are eligible after five seasons.

While Feduccia was more of a peripheral addition, the Dodgers were certain to protect Frasso and Knack, and in 2024, he will most certainly be the team’s third catcher.

Frasso has a career MiLB ERA of 2.96 with 191 punchouts in 152 innings. Last season, he recorded a 3.77 ERA with 107 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP over 93 innings.

According to MLB Pipeline, the 25-year-old is rated as the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, the fourth prospect in their organisation, and the No. 65 prospect in all of baseball.

Knack had a 1.16 WHIP, 99 strikeouts, and a 2.51 ERA in 100.1 innings pitched during the previous season.

The 26-year-old, who is ranked as the Dodgers’ No. 9 prospect, is expected to pitch in the middle or back of the rotation in the major leagues. Knack, who is primarily regarded for his command, has boosted his stock recently as his fastball velocity has increased.

Although Feduccia is only the 29th-ranked prospect by the Dodgers, his bat appears ready for the major leagues after he hit.279/.387/.451 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI in Triple-A Oklahoma City last year.

Although Diego Cartaya is the lone depth catcher on the 40-man roster and is still growing, 26-year-old Feduccia projects as a backup but might be useful if needed in 2024.

Kendall Williams, who participated in the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, José Ramos (ranked No. 19), Alec Gamboa, Yeiner Fernandez (ranked No. 26), John Rooney, Braydon Fisher, Ryan Ward, Jerming Rosario, Carlos Duran, and Edgardo Henriquez are notable Dodger prospects who were left off the list. They can now all be included in the forthcoming Rule 5 Draft.

History of Dodgers Rule 5 Draft protectionThe Dodgers added Andy Pages, Jonny DeLuca, Diego Cartaya, and Michael Busch to their 40-man roster in November 2022. Busch and DeLuca will make their Major League Baseball debuts in 2023. In the end, the Dodgers lost Jose Hernandez to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ryan Noda to the Oakland Athletics, and Gus Varland to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Every player selected in the first round of the draft has to be a member of the Major League roster for the whole season for the picking team, or they have to be returned to their prior club. If they are offered back, the original club has the option to accept the return or let the organisation that selected them keep them.

Varland eventually made his way back to the Dodgers after the Brewers cut him from their roster. Hernandez and Noda both achieved success with their respective teams.