Cotton, Stripling added to 40-man roster
Dodgers protect right-handed prospects from Rule 5 Draft
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Friday added right-handed pitchers Jharel Cotton and Ross Stripling to the 40-man roster, protecting them from next month's Rule 5 Draft. They are the Dodgers' No. 15 and No. 22 prospects, respectively, according to MLB.com.
After breaking his wrist in Spring Training, the 23-year-old Cotton pitched on four levels last season, going 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 games (11 starts) combined. He struck out 114 and walked just 31 while posting a 1.18 WHIP and averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, then made five starts in the Arizona Fall League.
The 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and he played baseball at Miami-Dade College and East Carolina University. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2012 Draft. He was drafted in the 28th round by the Mets in '11, but he didn't sign.
Stripling, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder who turns 26 on Monday, appeared with the Dodgers in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee in 2014, but he injured his elbow and underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on April 2. This year, Stripling made 13 starts for Double-A Tulsa and one with Class A Advanced Great Lakes, going 3-6 with a 3.66 ERA and a .234 opponents' batting average.
Video: Top Prospects: Ross Stripling, RHP, Dodgers
The right-hander was drafted out of Texas A&M in the fifth round of the 2012 Draft. He was drafted in the ninth round by Colorado in '11, but didn't sign.
The Dodgers now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.