PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies on Tuesday added top prospect Andrew Painter -- and two other high-ranking prospects -- to their 40-man roster.
Along with Painter, the club also selected the contracts of outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (Philadelphia's No. 9 prospect ) and right-hander Alex McFarlane ( No. 20 ). The moves came ahead of Tuesday's deadline for Major League teams to add players to the 40-man or risk losing them in the Rule 5 Draft .
There were no surprises in the players the Phillies chose to protect (or not protect). With the three additions, Philadelphia's 40-man roster is now at 33 players in the early stages of what figures to be a busy offseason.
Painter was a no-brainer, given the 22-year-old checks in as MLB Pipeline's No. 16 overall prospect -- and the thir

MLB

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
MyNorthwest
Detroit Free Press
The Daily Beast
VARIETY
People Crime
AlterNet
IndyStarSports
People Shopping