The Rule 5 Draft protection deadline came and went Tuesday.
As expected, all six eligible Top 100 prospects were added to their respective clubs’ 40-man rosters before the 6 p.m. ET closing bell. In total, 54 players ranked among their organizations’ Top 30 prospects were protected from the Rule 5 Draft on Tuesday.
But there were also plenty who were unranked and got the same status as their parent clubs feared losing them to another team through the Rule 5 process. The group shouldn’t be so easily disregarded either. Steven Kwan was unranked before being first added to the Guardians’ 40-man in November 2021, and he’s become a two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover since then. Brewers right-hander Chad Patrick had a similar status this time last year and finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting as he earned opportunities in the Milwaukee rotation.
Here are 10 unranked but noteworthy prospects who earned 40-man status this year:
Brandan Bidois, RHP, Pirates: The Australia native generated headlines by throwing 18 consecutive hitless innings across 11 appearances from July 29 to Sept. 14 between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old righty made stops at all four full-season levels in 2025, finishing with a 0.74 ERA, an 0.80 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 61 innings. His primary weapons are a 94-97 mph four-seamer (with 19.2 inches of induced vertical break at Triple-A) and an 84-87 mph slider that was nearly untouchable against fellow righties.
Riley Cornelio, RHP, Nationals: The 2022 seventh-rounder was named the Nats’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.28 ERA with 135 strikeouts over 134 1/3 innings across the Minors’ top three levels. His 93-96 mph sinker may not pop with a subpar movement profile, but his mid-80s slider had a whiff rate of 50 percent at Triple-A with tight gloveside movement. Washington found success with riding Brad Lord’s momentum as both a starter and reliever in 2025 and could aim for the same track with Cornelio in his age-26 campaign next summer.
Alex Hoppe, RHP, Mariners: A member of the Red Sox organization when the day started, Hoppe was dealt to Seattle for 2025 14th-rounder Luke Heyman on Tuesday and then promptly added to the M’s 40-man as Rule 5 protection. The 6-foot-1 right-hander exceeded 100 mph five times over 37 appearances with Triple-A Worcester last season and averaged 98.1 mph with his four-seamer at the Minors’ top level, making him one of the hardest throwers protected Tuesday. He also works with a 92-94 mph cutter and an upper-80s slider — the latter having more drop, along with the lessened velo — for different looks beside the heat as well as an effective 88-91 mph changeup for lefties.
Ronan Kopp, LHP, Dodgers: Standing 6-foot-7, Kopp has mechanics similar to Garrett Crochet’s with a high leg kick out of his tall frame. The good news is that he puts up monster strikeout numbers: 91 total punchouts and a 36 percent K rate over 57 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. The bad news is he also struggles immensely with walks, issuing free passes at a 16.6 percent clip. Kopp works with a four-seamer that can touch 99 mph and comes with good ride and minimal horizontal movement out of a high release point, and he plays off that with a hard low-90s slider. Despite being a classic two-pitch reliever, he ran even splits in 2025, and that will help his case to earn a spot in the World Series champs’ bullpen, though he has to find the zone more regularly first.
Anthony Nunez, RHP, Orioles: Nunez has an interesting backstory as a former Padres infielder who went back to school at Division II University of Tampa and signed with the Mets as a nondrafted free agent in 2024. In the midst of a breakout season, he was sent to the Orioles at the Trade Deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal and finished with a 2.06 ERA, an 0.81 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 56⅔ innings across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. A low-90s cutter, 85-87 mph sweeper and mid-80s changeup all project as potentially above average-to-plus pitches out of the bullpen.
Junior Perez, OF, Athletics: Acquired from the Padres as a player to be named later in the 2020 deal for Jorge Mateo, Perez had topped out with 15 homers in a season entering 2025 before breaking out with 26 in 137 games between Double-A and Triple-A, most among Minor Leaguers in the organization. Throw in 27 steals, and he was the A’s only 20/20 prospect last season. The right-handed slugger can run into contact issues, but he does hit the ball hard with a 107 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity and limits his swings outside the zone. Perez also has the speed to handle center field, offering the A’s another option out there alongside defensive wizard Denzel Clarke.
Eduardo Valencia, C/1B, Tigers: Valencia’s career high for homers entering 2025 was six. Like Perez, he surged past that with 24 in 103 games between Double-A and Triple-A, leading a Tigers organization known for big-name hitting prospects. He was especially good at the higher level, where he sported a .319/.405/.622 line and 168 wRC+ in 50 games. Valencia is a bottom-of-the-scale runner, and he’s most likely to stick at first base over catcher, where he’d have a higher offensive bar as a righty hitter, righty thrower. But there’s no denying the power and patience he showed in his age-25 season to win a 40-man spot.
Tyler Uberstine, RHP, Red Sox: Uberstine is another incredible story as a pitcher who was twice cut from his high school team, went in the 19th round of the 2021 Draft after time at Northwestern and the MLB Draft League and surged onto the 40-man Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.58 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. Uberstine only averaged 93.2 mph with his four-seamer with Worcester, but the heater had a 37.6 percent whiff rate because of the deceptiveness of his low three-quarters release. In total, he worked with six different pitch types (four-seamer, sinker, curveball, slider, cutter, changeup) at the Minors’ top level, and the depth of that arsenal could help his chances at contributing to Boston’s rotation depth in 2026 and beyond.
Brandon Valenzuela, C, Blue Jays: Long considered an impressive defender behind the plate, Valenzuela looked stalled out offensively at Double-A in the Padres system until this season, when he notched a .229/.313/.387 line with a career-high 12 homers and a 104 wRC+ in 87 games with San Antonio. (He got starting catcher looks while Top 100 prospect Ethan Salas was sidelined with a back injury.) The Blue Jays acquired the 25-year-old at the Trade Deadline for infielder Will Wagner and promptly promoted him to Triple-A Buffalo, where he caught future postseason hero Trey Yesavage. Valenzuela projects as a glove-first backup catcher and could compete with Tyler Heineman for that role behind Alejandro Kirk.
Ryan Ward, OF/1B, Dodgers: The 2019 eighth-rounder out of Bryant led the Minors with 36 homers, 73 extra-base hits and 315 total bases over 143 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’s gone deep at least 21 times in each of his last five seasons, and his 146 homers since 2021 lead all Minor Leaguers in that span. (No one else has hit more than 130.) He’s moved between first base and the outfield corners, but it’s his left-handed bat that earned him his first shot on a 40-man.
Other unranked rostered players: Kervin Castro, RHP, Yankees; Alex Cook, RHP, Rays; Trei Cruz, SS/3B/OF, Tigers; Duncan Davitt, RHP, White Sox; Shane Drohan, LHP, Red Sox; Jose Fernandez, INF, D-backs; Cameron Foster, RHP, Orioles; Ryan Harbin, RHP, Pirates; Antwone Kelly, RHP, Pirates; Will Kempner, RHP, Marlins; John Klein, RHP, Twins; Riley Martin, LHP, Cubs; Robinson Ortiz, LHP, Mariners (traded from Dodgers); Dylan Ray, RHP, D-backs; Tyler Samaniego, LHP, Pirates; Bryan Torres, OF, Cardinals; Reed Trimble, OF, Orioles; Josh White, RHP, Marlins
