The Royals added catcher Meibrys Viloria, and pitcher Tim Hill and Eric Stout to the 40-man roster today, protecting them from next month’s Rule 5 draft. Today was the deadline to add players. Players are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they are not on the 40-man roster and were signed when they were 19 or older and have played in professional baseball for four years are eligible, or were signed at 18 and have played for five years.
Eric Stout seemed a likely option to be protected, as he was a valuable lefty reliever for AAA Omaha.