Players Eligible For Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) In 2025

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Image credit: (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

A total of 90 players have the potential to add Prospect Promotion Incentive eligibility this season.

This group of players has cleared the first hurdle of PPI eligibility. They ranked on at least two of three qualifying Top 100 Prospects rankings—those by Baseball America, ESPN and MLB.com.

Baseball America Top 100

See the top prospects in baseball entering the 2025 season.

For PPI eligibility to attach, these qualifying players must accrue at least 172 days of MLB service during the 2025 season. To reach 172 days, players must make Opening Day rosters or be called up within the first two weeks of the season.  

A PPI-eligible player can bestow his club with a draft pick after the first round in 2026 if he wins a Rookie of the Year award in 2025. PPI eligibility continues beyond a player’s rookie season and can trigger a PPI draft picks if he factors in awards voting before reaching arbitration.

For everything you ever wanted to know about the PPI initiative, please see this post.

Here are this year’s players who have the potential to add PPI eligibility, sorted into groups based on the peak level they have reached.

Special Case

One Player
Roki Sasaki, RHP, Dodgers

Typically, stars coming from Korea or Japan who sign with MLB clubs are ineligible for PPI. That’s because most are classified as “foreign professionals,” who are deemed more akin to a major league free agent than a true prospect. The word “prospect” is a key element of the Prospect Promotion Incentive, after all.

So while Roki Sasaki starred for Chiba Lotte in Japan’s Pacific League for four seasons, he is not yet 25 years old and has not yet played six seasons in NPB. Those are the cutoffs outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that distinguish a prospect who is subject to international bonus pools and a foreign professional who does not count against bonus pools.

Two offseason Dodges signees illustrate the difference. Sasaki does not qualify as a foreign professional, thus he remains eligible for PPI. Los Angeles also signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim in January. He is 26 years old and an eight-year veteran of the KBO, thus he is a foreign professional who cannot have PPI eligibility attach.

Potential PPI-Qualifying Players With MLB Experience

These players are 40-man roster members who have major league experience. That gives them an advantage when it comes to Opening Day roster considerations.  

Eight Players
Kevin Alcantara, OF, Cubs
Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals 
Caden Dana, RHP, Angels 
Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers
Jordan Lawlar, SS, D-backs
Rhett Lowder, RHP Reds 
Coby Mayo, 3B Orioles 
Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers

Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson are rookie eligible in 2025 but ineligible for PPI because they have too much prior MLB service. Players may not exceed 60 total days of service—active or inactive—and still qualify for PPI. Dominguez has 130 days and Wilson has 73. Despite all their MLB service, they have stayed under the rookie playing-time thresholds because most of their service was accrued on the injured list.

One year ago: A total of 21 players fit this criteria heading into 2024. Eleven of them accrued the requisite MLB service in 2024 for PPI eligibility to attach. The list includes two players who received American League Rookie of the Year votes: Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser (second) and Yankees catcher Austin Wells (third).

Potential PPI-Qualifying Players Who Have Reached Double-A Or Triple-A

This group of players finished the 2024 season at Double-A or Triple-A, a phone call away from a callup. These players’ MLB proximity puts them in the conversation for an Opening Day roster spot. The vast majority will not make the cut, but last year Jared Jones, Wyatt Langford and Jackson Merrill leapt from the upper minors in 2023 to Opening Day rosters in 2024 with no previous MLB experience. Jackson Chourio and Colt Keith did as well, though they had signed offseason contract extensions that made them 40-man roster players.

46 Players
Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs
Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles
Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs (40-man roster)
Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox
Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates
Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies
Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians
Chase Dollander, RHP, Rockies
Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants
Jackson Ferris, LHP, Dodgers
Harry Ford, C, Mariners
Alex Freeland, SS, Dodgers
Thomas Harrington, RHP, Pirates
Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals (40-man roster)
Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays
Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins
Termarr Johnson, 2B, Pirates
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Twins
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox
Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers
Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox
Christian Moore, 2B, Angels
Tre’ Morgan, 1B, Rays
Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
Chase Petty, RHP, Reds
Edgar Quero, C, White Sox
Jeferson Quero, C, Brewers (40-man roster)
Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins (40-man roster)
Dalton Rushing, C, Dodgers
Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox
Matt Shaw, 3B, Cubs
Cam Smith, 3B, Astros
Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Rays
Kyle Teel, C, White Sox
Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays
Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers
Carson Williams, SS, Rays
Jett Williams, SS, Mets
Cole Young, 2B, Mariners

Four players in this group are members of 40-man rosters. Two are 2020 draft picks out of high school (Owen Caissie and Tink Hence) and two are 2019 international free agent signees (Jeferson Quero and Emmanuel Rodriguez). 

Phillies righthander Andrew Painter reached Double-A Reading for five starts in 2022. He missed all of 2023 and 2024 with an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. Painter returned to the mound in the 2024 Arizona Fall League and will be just 22 years old this season.

One year ago: A total of 51 players fit this criteria heading into 2024. Three of them wound up making Opening Day rosters and later adding PPI eligibility: Jared Jones, Wyatt Langford and Jackson Merrill, the National League Rookie of the Year runner-up. Jackson Chourio and Colt Keith would have been PPI eligible had they not signed contract extension prior to making their MLB debuts.

Potential PPI-Qualifying Players Who Have Not Yet Reached Double-A

This player pool is stocked with 2023 and 2024 draft picks as well international signees from 2022, 2023 and 2024. Their odds of making Opening Day rosters are essentially nil.

35 Players
Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox
Michael Arroyo, 2B, Mariners
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians
Chase Burns, RHP, Reds
Starlyn Caba, SS, Marlins
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Royals
Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners
Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
Max Clark, OF, Tigers
Charlie Condon, OF, Rockies
Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers
Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres
Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners
Jonny Farmelo, OF, Mariners
Angel Genao, SS, Guardians
Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates
Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers
Thayron Liranzo, C, Tigers
George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees
Jesus Made, SS, Brewers
Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers
Blake Mitchell, C, Royals
Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners
Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox
Arjun Nimmala, SS, Blue Jays
Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers
Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers
Alejandro Rosario, RHP, Rangers
Ethan Salas, C, Padres
Hagen Smith, LHP, White Sox
Jarlin Susana, RHP, Nationals
Travis Sykora, RHP, Nationals
Eduardo Tait, C, Phillies
JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals
Thomas White, LHP, Marlins

Four 2024 draft picks listed above have not yet made their pro debuts: Reds righthander Chase Burns, Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery and Tigers shortstop Bryce Rainer.

One year ago: A total of 21 players fit this criteria heading into 2024. None of them added PPI eligibility or came close. However, one player from this cohort last year reached the big leagues: Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson. Two others—Bryce Eldridge and Dalton Rushing—reached Triple-A.

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