Phils protect 3 prospects from Rule 5 Draft

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies protected three players from next month's Rule 5 Draft, including one of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects.
The team announced Tuesday evening that it had placed right-hander Adonis Medina, shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa and right-hander Edgar Garcia on the 40-man roster. Medina is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 64 prospect in baseball and the Phillies' No. 3 prospect, behind right-hander Sixto Sanchez and third baseman Alec Bohm.
Gamboa is the Phillies' No. 11 prospect.
The Phillies did not protect Triple-A Lehigh Valley right-hander Thomas Eshelman, who was the organization's 2017 Minor League Pitcher of the Year and ranks 27th on the Phillies' Top 30 Prospects list. Other Phillies top prospects not protected include second baseman Daniel Brito (No. 12) and infielder Jose Gomez (No. 16).
Medina, 21, went 10-4 with a 4.12 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) with Class A Advanced Clearwater, posting a 3.54 ERA from May through the end of the season. He struck out 123 batters in 111 1/3 innings and pitched for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game in July. The Phillies signed the Dominican as an amateur free agent in May 2014.
Gamboa, 21, has tools, particularly defensively, but he hit just .214 with a .582 OPS in 497 plate appearances with Clearwater. The Phillies signed him in July 2014.
Garcia, 22, went a combined 7-3 with a 3.64 ERA and eight saves in 52 relief appearances between Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. He struck out 72 in 64 1/3 innings. The Phillies signed him in May 2014.
The Phillies have 38 players on the 40-man roster.