Phillies protect three prospects from Rule 5 draft, leave Tom Eshelman off 40-man roster

The Phillies added three prospects to their 40-man roster on Tuesday while opting to leave off one of their former top arms as they set their roster for next month's Rule 5 draft.

The team still has two vacancies on the 40-man roster after adding 21-year-old shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa, 22-year-old righthander Edgar Garcia, and 21-year-old righthander Adonis Medina. Tuesday was the deadline to add eligible players to the 40-man roster and protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. The draft takes place at the conclusion of the winter meetings on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

Medina, whom MLB.com ranks as the team's third-best prospect, was an obvious choice. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings last season in 22 games with high-A Clearwater. He will likely begin next season in the double-A Reading rotation. Medina finished last season with a 4.12 ERA but had a 2.70 ERA in his final 40 innings. He pairs his mid-90s fastball with a slider and change-up.

Gamboa, a switch-hitter, led the high-A Florida State League with a .971 fielding percentage and began last season as Baseball America's 92nd-best prospect. He batted .214 with a .304 on-base percentage in 493 plate appearances with high-A Clearwater.

Last season was Garcia's first as a full-time reliever and he finished with a 3.64 ERA in 52 appearances between double A and triple A. He struck out 72 batters and walked just 27 in 64 1/3 innings.

Righthander Tom Eshelman, who won the Paul Owens Award as the organization's best minor-league pitcher in 2017, was left unprotected. The 24-year-old was roughed up last season at triple A as he registered a 5.84 ERA in 140 1/3 innings. But Eshelman, who was a second-round pick in 2015, could be worth a flier in the Rule 5 draft. He was excellent in 2017 and has great command. The Phillies also left off 24-year-old righthanded relievers Luke Leftwich and Seth McGarry, who could be primed to be selected after pitching well in the Arizona Fall League. Daniel Brito, a 20-year-old, smooth-fielding shortstop, was left unprotected but has yet to reach double A. Catcher Deivi Grullon could also be drafted after hitting 21 homers at double A.