Royals lose minor-league pitcher in Rule 5 Draft

The Royals lost a minor-league pitcher in the annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

In the second round of the draft, the Phillies selected left-hander Daniel Stumpf, who was with Class AA Northwest Arkansas last season.

Stumpf, 24, was 5-4 with a 3.57 ERA a year ago with the Naturals. He struck out 76 in 70  2/3 innings with 31 walks allowed.

According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, left-handed hitters had a slash line of .167/.289/.250 against Eddy in 2015.

Stumpf, a ninth-round selection in 2012, ended the season with seven straight scoreless outings over 9  2/3 innings, striking out 14 and walking two batters.

In addition to being added immediately to the Phillies’ 40-man roster, Stumpf must stay on their 25-man roster all season or be returned to the Royals.

The Royals didn’t draft any players.

In the minor-league portion of the draft, the Dodgers selected catcher Micah Gibbs from the Royals. Gibbs hit .236/.327/.382 last season, while spending time at Northwest Arkansas and Class AAA Omaha. That included a .147 average at Omaha.

The Yankees later selected catcher Santiago Nessy from the Royals. Nessy had a slash line of .220/.287/.340 at Northwest Arkansas and Class A-Advanced Wilmington.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 9:38 AM.