Texas Rangers Protect Four Top 30 Prospects From Rule 5 Draft

The Texas Rangers moved four prospects to the 40-man roster, while exposing one Top 30 prospect to the Rule 5 Draft in December.

The Texas Rangers had to make some key decisions on the Rule 5 Draft by Tuesday’s deadline.

The World Series champions had to determine which prospects they wanted to protect by moving them to the 40-man roster. By not doing so, the Rangers would expose them to the Rule 5 Draft next month.

The Rangers had five Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com, that qualified.

Marc Church is one of four prospects the Rangers moved to the 40-man roster on Tuesday / Texas Rangers

Those prospects included infielder Justin Foscue (No. 6), right-handed pitcher Marc Church (19), right-handed pitcher Jose Corniell (23), left-handed pitcher Antoine Kelly (26) and right-handed pitcher Winston Santos (27).

Foscue is a former first-round pick, while Corniell was the Rangers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2023. Kelly was their 2023 Minor League Reliever of the Year.

The Rangers moved four of them to the 40-man roster to protect them from the draft — Foscue, Church, Corniell and Kelly. 

That leaves Santos unprotected for next month's draft, which means the Rangers could lose him.

The moves can be critical for the Rangers’ future, as these prospects could make their way to the big leagues one day.

The Rangers went from a team that lost more than 100 games in 2021 to a team that won the World Series earlier this month.

The Rule 5 Draft, or the Winter Meeting Draft, will take place on Dec. 6 in Nashville.

Players signed at age 18 or younger who had not been added to the 40-man within five seasons of becoming a pro, or players who signed at age 19 or older and had not been added to the 40-man roster within four seasons, were eligible for protection.

For teams that draft a player in the Rule 5 Draft, they must pay $100,000 to the player’s club, put him on their 26-man roster immediately or put him out outright waivers if they release him the following season. If he clears waivers, he goes back to his former team for $50,000.

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