On November 18th – one week from today – MLB teams face the deadline to protect players from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Here is the list of players that the Phillies need to make decisions on over the course of the next week.

Rule 5 Draft rules

Any minor leaguer not on the 40-man roster and signed at age 18 or younger becomes eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after five full minor league seasons. Those signed at age 19 or older become eligible after four full minor league seasons. For the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, that means players who signed in 2020 if they were 19 or older at the time or players who signed in 2019 if they were 18 or younger.

Players who are selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft must be kept on the selecting team’s active MLB roster for an entire season, or otherwise be offered back to the original club. In the minor league phase, rules are more flexible, and players are relocated to affiliates without stringent roster use requirements.

Rule 5 Eligible Phillies Prospects

  • RHP Eiberson Castellano – The Phillies left Castellano unprotected last year and he was drafted by the Twins, but returned to the Phillies. He made one start and 19 relief appearances for Reading in 2025 with a 4-2, 5.14 ERA. The Phillies like him enough to have sent him to the Arizona Fall League (AFL), but that doesn’t guarantee his protection.
  • RHP Daniel Harper – Another prospect that the Phillies sent to the AFL. In 2024 it looked like Harper could be in line to be fast-tracked to the majors, but he suffered an injury that kept him off of the mound for the first two months of the 2025 season and then was back on the IL in August. Between Jersey Shore, Reading, and Lehigh Valley, Harper made 25 relief appearances with a 6.26 ERA.
  • RHP Alex McFarlane – McFarlane didn’t light any fires in 2025. In 18 starts and six relief outings with Jersey Shore, the righty was 2-9, 4.72 and walked 40 batters in 74.1 innings. A quick visit with Reading – four outings – resulted in a 6.75 ERA. It’s not likely that McFarlane will be protected or that he will be poached from the Phillies.
  • RHP Griff McGarry – After a disappointing 2024 that dropped McGarry much lower on the Phillies radar, he rebounded in 2025 when he went 1-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 17 starts. He then made a final start for Lehigh Valley and allowed one earned run in five innings. His problems stem from control problems, but was better in 2025.
  • RHP Christian McGowan – McGowan has had his development cut short by Tommy John surgery and the labrum issues that have limited his time on the mound. Those injury concerns could scare off some teams from selecting him.
  • RHP Andrew Painter – Don’t worry, the Phillies are going to protect Painter even though he has struggled since returning from Tommy John surgery. Lefties hit Painter especially hard at Triple-A in 2025 when they batted .287 against him.
  • RHP Saul Teran – In 2023 and 2024, Teran made a combined total of 27 relief appearances with Clearwater, but was back with the Threshers to open 2025. After 15 more strong outings, the Phillies moved him to Jersey Shore where he made 22 appearances, converted 11 of 12 save opportunities, and posted a 1.38 ERA. That was good enough to get him three appearances with Reading where he posted a 2.08 ERA. All combined, Teran was 5-1, 1.30 in 40 outings with 15 saves in 16 chances. He has no Triple-A experience, but teams might roll the dice on him.
  • LHP Tristan Garnett – The projections on Garnett are nothing special. Basically, he could become a serviceable reliever, which might be good enough for a team to take a chance on him since he is left-handed. With deceptive mechanics and good command that left-handed arm might have some teams looking at him.
  • C Jordan Dissin – In 2025, Dissin hit .235 in 10 games with Double-A Reading and was sent back to Jersey Shore where he had played 78 games in 2024. The righty hitter struggled offensively through 48 games with Jersey Shore .170/.303/.211/.514. The 23-year-old is a local product who played high school ball at Malvern Prep and then went on to play at Saddleback Junior College in California. He was selected by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2022 Draft.
  • C Caleb Ricketts – The lefty hitting catching prospect played primarily at Reading in 2025 with a 6-27-.256/.303/.399/.702 line in 58 games. Ricketts is an average backstop defensively, but he has threw out just 14% of base stealers last season at Double-A. He will likely not be protected and should get through the Rule 5 Draft without hearing his name.
  • INF/OF Robert Moore – Moore is basically a decent minor league player. His defense is well ahead of his hitting skills, but he has some promise at the plate to be a get-on-base type of player. He likes to work counts and pick out high percentage pitches to jump on. He also has versatility and has played second, third, short, and center in the minors.
  • OF/INF Felix Reyes – The reigning Eastern League batting champion and MVP , Reyes was phenomenal in 2025. With Reading he slashed 15-65-.335/.365/.572/.937 and in a late season audition at Triple-A Reyes hit .261 and added another home run to his total in six games. Another favorite to be protected.
  • OF Gabriel Rincones Jr. – Last year in spring training Rincones opened some eyes and some thought he should made the club out of spring training, but instead, he was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He slashed 18-73-.240/.370/.430/.800 in 119 games. With a full season at Triple-A and good stats under his belt, teams are likely to have an interest in the left-handed hitter, who turns 25 in early March.