The Padres have added pitching prospect Jairo Iriarte to the 40-man roster to maintain him out of the Rule 5 draft, tweets Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In a corresponding transaction, right-hander Reiss Knehr has been outrighted off the roster. San Diego’s 40-man rely stays at 34.
Iriarte, a 6’2″ right-hander, had a breakout marketing campaign in 2023. The Venezuela native divided the 12 months throughout Excessive-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. Working largely as a starter, he pitched to a 3.49 ERA in 90 1/3 innings over 27 appearances. Iriarte fanned nearly a 3rd of opposing hitters whereas working towards typically older competitors.
The 21-year-old additionally walked almost 12% of batters confronted. He clearly nonetheless must develop as a strike-thrower, however his arsenal has impressed evaluators. Baseball America slotted him fifth amongst San Diego prospects midseason. He will surely have been chosen within the Rule 5, making this a straightforward name for the entrance workplace.
Knehr has spent the previous two and a half seasons as a depth starter for the Friars. He has a 5.96 ERA in 48 1/3 large league innings. The Fordham product owns a 5.54 ERA in components of three Triple-A campaigns. Knehr underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in July and is more likely to miss portion of the 2024 season.
