Royals add four minor-leaguers to 40-man roster, including OF Heath, pitcher Griffin
The Royals added four minor-league players to their 40-man roster Wednesday less than three hours before the MLB deadline that would have left those players exposed to other organizations in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
The club announced outfielder Nick Heath, left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin, right-handed pitcher Carlos Hernandez and shortstop Jeison Guzman were all added to the roster.
Catcher Nick Dini, outfielder Jorge Bonifacio and right-handed pitchers Conner Greene and Arnaldo Hernandez were designated for assignment in corresponding roster moves. Dini and Bonifacio appeared in games for the Royals this season.
Heath, 25, reached Triple-A last season and led all of Minor League Baseball in stolen bases (60) between Double-A and Triple-A. A former 16th-round pick in 2016, Heath posted a slash line of .255/.345/.387 in 105 games combined between the two levels.
Griffin, a former first-round draft pick (2014), earned Pacific Coast League post-season all-star honors in 2019 after he went 8-6 with a 5.23 ERA. He’d been a MLB All-Star Futures Game selection in 2017.
Guzman spent the entire season at Low-A Lexington, and Carlos Hernandez finished the season in Lexington after two rookie-ball stints. Guzman earned Lexington’s player of the year award.
By adding Heath, Griffin, Guzman and Carlos Hernandez, the Royals protect them from potentially being picked up by another club in the Rule 5 Draft. The Royals’ 40-man roster is now at capacity.
Any player left unprotected could be drafted, but the club that selected the player must keep him on its major-league roster for the entire 2020 season in order to retain him.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:52 PM.
