Angels add Jones, Yan to 40-man roster

ANAHEIM -- The Angels added prospects Jahmai Jones and Hector Yan to the 40-man roster before Wednesday’s deadline to protect eligible Minor Leaguers from the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 12 at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. Their 40-man roster is now full.

Jones (No. 6) and Yan (No. 17) are both among the club’s Top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Middle infielder Leonardo Rivas, ranked as the club's No. 25 prospect, was left unprotected. Other Angels Minor Leaguers who are now eligible for the Rule 5 Draft include infielder Jose Rojas, catcher Jack Kruger, outfielders Brennon Lund and Gareth Morgan and right-handers Adrian De Horta, Oliver Ortega and Joe Gatto.

Jones was the club's second-round Draft pick in 2015 and moved back to second base in '19 after some time in center field. He started off slow offensively at Double-A Mobile and hit .234/.308/.324 with five homers, nine stolen bases and 50 RBIs in 130 games. The 22-year-old followed that up with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, batting .302/.377/.509 with two homers, seven stolen bases and 10 RBIs in 16 games against top pitching prospects.

Yan, 20, had a breakout season at Class A Burlington, posting a 3.39 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 109 innings. The lefty also walked 52 and allowed just five homers in 26 appearances, including 20 starts. His fastball reaches 96 mph, and he possesses a plus-curveball and a developing changeup.

The Angels are hopeful not to lose Rivas to the Rule 5 Draft, but the 22-year-old struggled offensively for a second straight season after a solid 2017 campaign. Known more for his defense, he hit .236/.328/.377 with six homers and 26 RBIs in 73 games at Class A Advanced Inland Empire. Rivas is far enough from the Majors that teams are likely to pass on him.

Rojas seems more likely to be a Rule 5 Draft candidate because he’s closer to the Majors and had a strong year offensively. The 26-year-old Anaheim native hit .293/.362/.577 with 31 homers, 39 doubles, seven triples and 107 RBIs in 126 games with Triple-A Salt Lake. He's not considered a strong defender, but a club could take a chance on him because of his offensive potential.

Every player taken in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft must remain on the active big league roster for the entirety of the following season or be offered back to their previous club for half of the $100,000 fee teams pay for each player selected via this process.