I think Covey will also survive the Rule 5 culling/adding and the off-season, though he may end up being DFAed eventually if there are better options in Clearwater.
I don't think there were that many casual fans at the sold-out CBP, I think people knew who exactly who Covey and Castro were. Some were indifferent and a few were actually negative (not boos, but you could hear the sarcasm).
I was actually initially surprised that the players who got left off the roster were part of the introductions. I was also surprised Rhys was the big surprise because he'd already been the surprise guest along with Harper on Opening Day. But it was cool, especially with Schwarber catching. And it's only the wild card round after all.