Each year on the last day of the Winter Meetings, Major League Baseball holds a Rule 5 Draft.
On Thursday, the Phillies selected utility infielder Vimael Machin from the Chicago Cubs; the 26-year-old, Humacao, Puerto Rico, native has been assigned to the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, the Phillies lost no players in the Major League phase of the draft, after protecting just RHP Mauricio Llovera, and southpaws Garrett Cleavinger, JoJo Romero, and Cristopher Sanchez. Slugging outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz had been among the prospects the Phillies feared they could lose.