A's add 3 prospects to 40-man roster as Rule 5 Draft protection

The Athletics protected a trio of prospects from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft by selecting the contracts of outfielder Denzel Clarke and right-handers Gunnar Hoglund and Ryan Cusick on Tuesday. All three were added to the A's 40-man roster, which now stands at 37 players.

Clarke, rated the A’s No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, bounced back from multiple shoulder injuries to impress in his 2024 campaign with Double-A Midland, slashing .269/.339/.445 with 13 home runs, 21 doubles, eight triples and 36 stolen bases in 116 games. He followed that up with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .382 with a 1.061 OPS, two homers, two doubles, three triples, 25 runs scored, 13 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 19 games for the Mesa Solar Sox, which led to him being chosen to participate in the AFL Fall Stars Game.

A fourth-round pick by the A’s out of Cal State Northridge in the 2021 MLB Draft, Clarke, considered a supreme athlete with exciting tools, is expected to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Las Vegas and is in good position to earn his first Major League opportunity at some point next year.

“Denzel has been a big story down there,” A’s general manager David Forst said of Clarke’s performance in the AFL. “He’s showing off his speed and everything he can do in center field.”

Hoglund (the A's No. 12 prospect), who turns 25 on Dec. 17, underwent a bit of a career rejuvenation last season. After battling injuries upon his arrival from Toronto as the key prospect in the Matt Chapman trade in 2022, the right-hander had a strong performance in 2024. He posted a 2.84 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP, 97 strikeouts and 27 walks in 104 2/3 innings with Midland, leading to a late-season promotion to Triple-A.

Cusick was one of the key prospects acquired from the Braves in the 2022 Matt Olson trade. Though the 25-year-old sits outside the A’s Top 30 Prospects List, the club was encouraged by the 6-foot-6 right-hander’s transition to the bullpen midway through last season. From July 20 through Sept. 24, Cusick posted a 1.61 ERA over his final 21 relief appearances (including two in the postseason) for Midland, with 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 28 innings.

The deadline for teams to protect eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft was Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT. The Rule 5 Draft is scheduled for Dec. 11 during the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas.

Notable players who were not protected from the Rule 5 Draft by the A’s are second baseman Cooper Bowman (No. 20), outfielder Brayan Buelvas (No. 26), right-hander Blake Beers and infielder Logan Davidson, their first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft who posted a .901 OPS in 87 games at Triple-A Las Vegas in '24.

The A’s greatly benefitted from the Rule 5 Draft in their selection of right-hander Mitch Spence with the first overall pick last season. Spence worked his way into the rotation early in the 2024 campaign and is now expected to begin next season in the A’s rotation after posting a 4.58 ERA in 35 games (24 starts), with 126 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings.