Royals protect three Top 30 prospects from Rule 5 Draft

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals added three players to their 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday evening’s deadline to protect eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft.

If Rule 5-eligible players -- those who signed at age 18 or younger five seasons ago or who signed at age 19 or older four seasons ago -- are not added to teams’ 40-man rosters, they are exposed to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft next month.

Left-hander Noah Cameron, ranked the Royals’ No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and righties Luinder Avila (No. 26) and Eric Cerantola (No. 29) were placed the roster on Tuesday. Kansas City's roster now sits at 37 players, with a few spots open for the offseason upgrades the Royals are trying to make.

Cameron, 25, knocked on the door of the Majors in ‘24 and likely would have made his debut had the Royals not been in a postseason race late in the year. The native of St. Joseph, Mo., posted a 3.08 ERA across 128 2/3 innings in Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha this past season.

Cameron made 25 starts combined between the two levels, but his nine starts in Omaha were especially impressive. He posted a 2.32 ERA at Triple-A late in the year with a 29% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate.

The Royals drafted Cameron in the seventh round in 2021 out of Central Arkansas. He was coming off of Tommy John surgery that year and has missed time with injuries early in his pro career, but he’s been remarkably consistent with his production otherwise. He thrives off his command and fills up the strike zone. He’ll compete for a spot on the Royals’ pitching staff in Spring Training, but he’s part of the depth that the Royals are excited about in 2025.

Avila, 23, just finished a stint in the Arizona Fall League, making up for some innings he missed because of injury this past season. In 14 2/3 innings across five games (three starts) this fall, Avila posted a 3.07 ERA, with 17 strikeouts and eight walks. He spent the majority of ‘24 in Double-A, making just one start in Triple-A at the end of the year. With the Naturals, Avila threw 82 2/3 innings across 19 starts and posted a 3.81 ERA.

A 2018 international signee out of Venezuela, Avila is young and still needs time to develop in the Minors, but the Royals have been pleased with his growth over the past few years.

Cerantola, 24, has a big arm that can reach 100 mph. He pitched to a 2.97 ERA and had a strikeout percentage north of 31% this year across Double-A and Triple-A, spending the majority of the year in Northwest Arkansas, where he allowed 18 earned runs in 58 1/3 innings. In Triple-A at the end of the year, he posted a 3.77 ERA. He appeared in 37 games total (seven starts) and is seen as a multi-inning reliever.

The Royals drafted Cerantola in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft out of Mississippi State. He’s always had great stuff, but he’s had trouble harnessing it. He has made significant strides, though, with that command, and he could compete for a bullpen spot in the spring.

Because the Royals had six open roster spots, there were discussions about adding more than three of their Rule 5-eligible players. Others considered were righties Chandler Champlain (No. 16) and lefty Tyson Guerrero (No. 27).

At the Rule 5 Draft, teams that do pick a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which the player was selected. The selected player is assigned to the club’s 26-man roster and is essentially treated like a player without options –-- to be removed from the 40-man roster, they must be placed on outright waivers and exposed to other teams to claim. Should the player clear waivers, he can be offered back to his previous team for $50,000. A Rule 5 Draft pick can be placed on the injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days to avoid being subject to the aforementioned roster restrictions in the next campaign.

The Royals selected Yankees righty Matt Sauer last December, and he made his debut with Kansas City in 2024. But by May the Royals needed the roster spot, and Sauer went back to New York.