Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Protected from Rule 5 Draft

The Diamondbacks added Walston to their 40-man roster Tuesday.

Walston spent all of 2023 with Triple-A Reno, posting a 4.52 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 149.1 innings. Teams won't be able to pluck Walston away from Arizona in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, but given his command issues and low strikeout totals, the 22-year-old southpaw has work to do before he can be considered for the major-league roster.