Armenteros, Stubbs join 40-man roster
Before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to set 40man rosters in advance of next month’s Rule 5 draft, the Astros selected the contracts of righthanded pitchers Bryan Abreu and Rogelio Armenteros along with catcher Garrett Stubbs.
The action protects all three prospects from selection during the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 13. The Astros’ 40man roster now stands at 38 players.
Players signed at 18 or younger with five years of professional experience are Rule 5 eligible. So are players signed at 19 or older with four years of experience. Inclusion on a 40man roster prohibits selection.
Stubbs’ protection was predictable. The departures of Brian McCann and Martin Maldonado into free agency leave the Astros with inadequate upper-level catching depth, a concern general manager Jeff Luhnow has reiterated is atop their offseason agenda.
With Stubbs’ inclusion, the team has three catchers on its 40-man roster.
Drafted in the eighth round in 2015, Stubbs has a career .767 OPS. He caught 45 percent of would-be base stealers last season with Class AAA Fresno — 19of-42 — while slashing .310/ .382/.455 in 340 plate appearances.
Armenteros, whom MLBPipeline ranks as Houston’s 12th-best prospect, impressed as a nonroster invitee to spring training last season. Luhnow mentioned him in September as a candidate for major league spot starts that eventually went to Framber Valdez and Josh James.
In 21 Class AAA starts last season, Armenteros struck out 134 batters in 118 innings, posting a 3.74 ERA. His strikeout numbers were fifth among all Class AAA pitchers.
Abreu has never pitched higher than Class A ball, but his numbers are gaudy. Signed as an international free agent in 2013, the 21year-old Dominican struck out 90 batters in 541⁄3 innings this season.
One Rule 5 eligible Astros prospect who did not earn a 40-man spot is righthander Riley Ferrell, the former A&M Consolidated and TCU product who was drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft.
If a team selects a player during the Rule 5 draft, he must remain on its 25-man roster for the entire 2019 season or be placed on waivers and — if unclaimed — offered back to his original team.
Notable Rule 5 draftees include Marwin Gonzalez, who was selected by the Red Sox in the 2011 Rule 5 draft and traded to the Astros later that day. Hector Rondon, who bounced between setup man and closer in the Astros’ bullpen last season, was a Rule 5 pick by the Cubs in 2012.