Top prospect Andrew Painter was one of three Phillies minor leaguers added to the organization’s 40-man roster on Tuesday to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Painter, fellow pitcher Alex McFarlane and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. were all placed on the 40-man roster for the first time in their careers, preventing them from being selected by another team when the Rule 5 draft takes place on Dec. 10 during Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. Players taken in the Rule 5 draft must remain on their new club’s big-league roster for the entire next season or else they must be placed on waivers and offered back to their original team if they go unclaimed.