Alex Cook News: Protected from Rule 5 Draft

The Rays selected Cook's contract from Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cook came to the Rays as a 12th-round selection in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The right-hander has worked mostly as a reliever in the minors, and he turned in a nice 18:3 K:BB over 15.2 innings while posting a 2.30 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 13 appearances in his first taste of Double-A ball last season. Cook dealt with some injuries last year, but if he can stay healthy and continue to impress next season, he should get a chance to move up to the Triple-A level.