I'll add this from my experience in the minor leagues, which might or might not be relevant:
An organization will add players to the 40-man roster (and AAA, AA, A rosters) during the off-season. Many of those players never will be on the roster they're assigned to in the winter by the time the season starts. I had teammates in Class AA who were added to Milwaukee's 40-man roster in the winter (for protection purposes to prevent other clubs from claiming them), and they knew they were going to be back in Double-A the next season.
So it's quite possible your friend might have been on the 40-man roster at some point but not the active 40-man roster that comes to most people's mind.
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