Philadelphia Phillies Select Contract of Johan Rojas

The Philadelphia Phillies added Johan Rojas to their 40-man roster in a bid to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

It's every baseball micro analysts dream, Rule 5 season is here.

For the first time in two years, MLB will hold the Rule 5 draft. After the lockout in 2021, this year's draft is scheduled to take place Dec. 7, the final event of the Winter Meetings.

In preparation for the draft, the Philadelphia Phillies added Johan Rojas to their 40-man roster to protect him from other teams. All minor leaguers who have accrued enough service time in their professional careers are eligible, but any player selected must stay on the Major League roster with their new organization through the entirety of the following season.

As the Phillies' fifth-ranked prospect, Rojas would be highly coveted in the draft, his speed and defense are already legitimate Major League tools.

Across 142 games in three leagues in 2022, Rojas stole 75 bases. He slashed .244/.309/.354 in the Phillies system but had an OPS of .876 in 12 Fall League contests with the Surprise Saguaros.

Even if his hitting never develops, he'll be a valuable bench piece in his career for his speed alone.

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