The Padres have added pitching prospect to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In a corresponding transaction, right-hander has been outrighted off the roster. San Diegos 40-man count remains at 34. Iriarte, a 62 right-hander, had a breakout campaign in 2023. The Venezuela native divided the year Royce O'Neale Jersey acro s High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. Working mostly as a starter, he pitched to a 3.49 ERA in 90 1/3 innings over 27 appearances. Iriarte fanned almost a third of opposing hitters while working against generally older competition. The 21-year-old also walked nearly 12% of batters faced. He clearly still needs to develop as a strike-thrower, but his arsenal has impre sed evaluators. Baseball America slotted him fifth among San Diego prospects midseason. He would certainly have been selected in the Rule 5, making this an easy call for the front office. Knehr has spent the past two and a half seasons as a depth starter for the Friars. He has a 5.96 ERA in 48 1/3 big league innings. The Fordham product owns a 5.54 ERA in parts of three Triple-A campaigns. Knehr underwent Tommy John surgery in July and is likely to mi s a good portion of the 2024 season. Miye Oni Jersey