The Nationals protected a trio of prospects from the 2025 Rule 5 Draft on Tuesday.

Washington selected the contracts of left-hander Jake Bennett ( No. 10 prospect , per MLB Pipeline), outfielder Christian Franklin ( No. 12 ) and right-hander Riley Cornelio . With these additions, the 40-man roster stands at 37.

“When we think through who we’re going to protect or not, I think the big piece of it is, ‘What are the odds that we think a certain player is going to not only get selected, but then stick on a team’s roster the duration of the season?’” president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said last week at GM Meetings.

“A lot of that plays into account. Then also, just the talent at the bottom of our roster and whether we think there is a pick worth making and what kind o

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