The Guardians added four players to the 40-man roster before the league's Rule 5 protection deadline.
Infield Angel Genao , outfielder Kahlil Watson and right-handed pitchers Austin Peterson and Yorman Gomez were all added to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, set for Dec. 11.
In order to make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Nic Enright , who underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2026 season, was designated for assignment.
Genao, a switch-hitting infield prospect, is ranked No. 3 in the Guardians system by MLB Pipeline . Last season for the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, he hit .259 with a .682 OPS, two home runs, 17 doubles, four triples, 37 RBIs and six stolen bases in 77 games. Still only 21, Genao will have his major league options clock started, and is yet another in a long line of promising prospects who can play up the middle in Cleveland 's system.
Watson, who was acquired in the Josh Bell trade at the 2023 deadline, played primarily in the outfield for the first time in 2025 in an effort to find an avenue to the majors for him. After a promotion to Triple-A, he hit .255 with an .834 OPS along with eight home runs, seven doubles, 25 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 43 games. He's ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the Guardians system.
Gomez, who turned 23 in November, had a terrific 2025, combining to post a 3.03 ERA with 139 strikeouts and 48 walks in 121⅔ innings between Lake County and Akron.
Peterson, now 26 years old, posted a 3.21 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A and finished as the club's system leader in innings, second in strikeouts and third in ERA and WHIP (1.17). He caught fire in Triple-A in August, when he posted a 2.45 ERA and recorded two outings of at least eight innings with one or fewer runs allowed.
In the Rule 5 Draft , teams can poach qualified, unprotected players from other teams' minor league systems. If a player is selected, he is added to his new team's major league roster and must remain there for the duration of the next regular season. If not, he must be offered back to his original team.
Players qualify for the Rule 5 draft if they are not on the 40-man roster by the deadline and have four years of professional service if they were signed at age 19 or five years of professional service if they were signed at age 18 or younger.
The Rule 5 Draft is designed to ensure teams be proactive in promoting top minor league talent. If not, another team can give them an opportunity.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians protect Genao, Watson, 2 others from Rule 5 Draft
