The 40-man roster is a critical list for professional ball players. It essentially means a parent club wants the player under control and makes him eligible to be added to the active 25-man roster. Of course, the 25-man roster is the group of players you see dressed out every day in the Major League uniform.
Any player can be added to the 40-man roster, but you typically won’t see recent draft picks or players below the Double A level. The 40-man roster is kind of like an expanded list of eligible MLB players. A high school prospect like Hunter Greene may have high upside, but he will not make an impact for his parent club for at least a few years. There is no reason to add him to the 40-man roster until he is in line to compete at least at the upper tier of the minor leagues.
With regard to Spring Training, most teams have the 40-man roster in big league camp alongside a handful of non-roster invitees. As Spring Training progresses, players are moved to the minor league camp and the 25-man roster begins to take shape. If a NRI plays well enough to warrant a roster spot on Opening Day, he must be added to the 40-man roster (as well as the 25-man roster). A player currently on the 40-man roster must be removed either by being designated for assignment, released, traded, or placed on the disabled list.
Players who are not on the Opening Day roster must be optioned to the minor leagues to begin the season. This is where option years accrue. An option year allows a player on the 40-man roster to move between the minors and Majors freely. If a player is out of option years, waivers come into play, and other teams may make claims.
At the end of the regular season, rosters are expanded, and teams may add any player on the 40-man roster to the active roster. There is no longer a limit of 25 players.
40-man roster changes
Typically, roster changes occur because of injuries. Other reasons could include a demotion for a struggling player or a promotion for a top prospect. If a team makes a trade, it may need to remove a player from the 40-man roster to create room for the newly acquired talent. There are even roster transactions that occur because a team played a lengthy game or has a double header scheduled. Pitchers can be called up to provide bullpen relief and be sent back down to the minors the next day.
The off-season is another critical time for 40-man rosters. A player on the 40-man roster is protected from the Rule 5 Draft. This occurs during the winter meetings and prevents teams from stockpiling young talent and preventing them from naturally moving up the professional ladder. There are stipulations with a Rule 5 selection, but the player must be on the 25-man roster for the next season.
There is more under working with the 40-man roster with regard to players on the DL and other special circumstances. To keep it simple, if a player is not on the 40-man roster, you will not see him in your favorite Major League team’s uniform.
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