Phillies

Phillies Protect Three Prospects From Rule 5 Draft

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Nov 19th, 2025 · 8:30 AM EST

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The Phillies announced that they selected the contracts of RHPs Andrew Painter and Alex McFarlane and OF Gabriel Rincones to the 40-man roster, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.

These were three no-brainer decisions. Painter and Rincones Jr both have a chance of making a serious impact on the major-league roster in 2026, while McFarlane showed serious growth in the back half of a season of Tommy John recovery.

Painter, the #1 Phillies prospect, is coming off his first full season back from his own Tommy John surgery. He certainly had his ups and downs, which was expected. Painter went 5-8 with a 5.26 ERA in 118 innings, striking out 123 batters to 47 walks across 26 starts.

McFarlane is a sneaky competitor for a bullpen role later in the 2026 season. He logged a 4.84 ERA across High-A and Double-A, but was named Phillies Pitcher of the Month for July with a 2.12 ERA.

Rincones Jr. spent his entire past season in Lehigh Valley, slashing .240/.370/.430 with 22 doubles and 18 home runs, knocking in 73 runs.

All three of these players are now safe from the Rule 5 Draft, which takes place on December 10th. The Phillies 40-man roster is now at 33 players.

Griff McGarry highlights the list of players that weren’t protected, along with Saul Teran, Daniel Harper, and Felix Reyes.