The Rule 5 Draft is held every December at the Winter Meetings. It lets teams pick up certain minor league players from other organizations. The goal is to keep teams from stockpiling talent in the minors that could be playing in the big leagues somewhere else.
Who is eligible
A player becomes eligible if he is not on his team’s 40-man roster and has been in the organization for a certain number of years, depending on his age when he signed:
- Signed at 18 or younger: He must be added to the 40-man roster within five Rule 5 drafts, or he becomes eligible.
- Signed at 19 or older: He gets four Rule 5 drafts before he becomes eligible.
Age is measured as of June 5 before the signing. The season he signs counts as his first year.
To protect a player, a team adds him to the 40-man roster before the deadline, which usually falls in mid-to-late November.
Quick shortcut:
- High school draftees and young international signees: add 4 to the signing year.
- College draftees: add 3 to the signing year.
The result is the December draft where he first becomes eligible.
For example, an international player who signed at 16 in January 2022 would first be eligible in December 2026.
What happens if a player is taken
The selecting team pays $100,000 to the original team. The player must then stay on the selecting team’s big league active roster for the entire next season. He can’t just be sent to the minors. If the new team wants to remove him from the active roster, it must offer him back to his original team for $50,000.
Example 1: High school draftee
A player is drafted out of high school in July 2022 at age 18 and signs right away. He counts 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. If he isn’t on the 40-man roster by the November 2026 deadline, he can be taken in the December 2026 Rule 5 Draft.
Example 2: College draftee
A player is drafted out of college in July 2023 at age 21 and signs. Because he was 19 or older, he gets only four years: 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. He is also eligible for the December 2026 Rule 5 Draft unless he’s protected.
One note for this year
The current labor agreement expires December 1, 2026. During the 2021 lockout, the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft was cancelled. If there’s a work stoppage this winter, it could affect this year’s draft as well.
The current Phillies 40-man roster has 44 players on it, but five – pitchers Brad Keller and Caleb Kilian and outfielders Adolis Garcia, Felix Reyes, and Johan Rojas – are on the 60-day IL and do not count toward the limit. They will be added onto the roster following the World Series with Garcia coming right back off since he is a free agent. Other free agents who will come off of the roster include: Pitchers Jose Alvarado, Tim Mayza, and Brooks Raley, Infielders: Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, and Edmundo Sosa.
Those moves leave the Phillies with 37 players on the 40-man roster. The Phillies will have decisions to make on players such as Nestor Cortes, Andrew Hoffman, Grant Holman, Caleb Kilian, Alan Rangel, Kameron Misner, and Colby Thomas.
RELATED: Phillies Free Agents | Phillies Minor League Free Agents | Phillies Arbitration Eligible Players
Most Likely to be Added to 40-Man Roster
Wen-Hui Pan, RHP, 24
An international free agent signing out of Taiwan in 2023, Pan made 38 relief appearances between Clearwater (6 games), Jersey Shore (9), and Reading (23). He posted a combined 5-0, 3.10 mark with six saves in six save opportunities. Most of the damage done to his numbers came at Clearwater. With the BlueClaws he had a 0.82 ERA and posted a 3.52 ERA with Reading.
Robert Moore, INF, 24
The Phillies would like to see Moore hit for a higher average – he hit just .226 this season – but he also hit 15 home runs and drove in 47 runs in 85 games for Lehigh Valley. He’s a versatile defender with some definite upside.
Raylin Heredia, OF, 22
Heredia had a breakout season with Reading and produced 23 home runs, 74 RBI, and a slash line of .278/.317/.473/.790 for the Fightin Phils. There is plenty to like offensively and the organization doesn’t have many right-handed hitting outfielders with power and promise. Defensively, there was also major improvement with room for more work to be done. He did have 10 outfield assists from right field for Reading this season, something to like a lot.
Kehden Hettiger, C, 22
It would be hard to leave a 22-year-old catcher exposed in the Rule 5 Draft, but odds are that he would not be taken. Teams realize that he isn’t ready for the majors and it’s tough to stash a catcher on the roster for a full season. Hettiger has shown improvement behind the plate, but still struggles to throw out baserunners. Offensively, there is some pop in his bat and the Phillies hope that it continues to develop. He hit just .191 in 61 games with Reading.
Keaton Anthony, 1B, 25
Anthony fouled a ball off of his foot in a spring training game and fractured a bone, which sent him to the IL and delayed the start of his 2026 season. He made up for lost time and hit .371 (13-for-35) on rehab stints with Clearwater and Jersey Shore before joining Lehigh Valley where he hit 11-50-.282/.363/.458/.821 in 78 games. His OBP is pushed up by good plate discipline as he drew 45 walks and struck out 59 times during the season. Add to that a strong feel for defense and you’ve got a decent prospect. Just don’t ask him to run. He appears to have a piano attached to his back.
Juan Villavicencio, SS, 21
In 70 games at Clearwater, Villavicencio hit 13 home runs and drove in 39 with a slash line of .298/.383/.540/.923 for the Threshers and was promoted to Jersey Shore. His adjustment went slowly and he slashed just .213/.338/.311/.649 in 33 games at The Shore. The home run numbers are nice and his average should come around as he continues to develop. Defensively, there is still some work to do, but he is also improving there and he can also play at third.
Bryan Rincon, SS, 22
The winner of the Paul Owens Award as the Phillies best position player prospect, Rincon was an eye-opener at Reading. The award was more because of his offense than defense as he made 19 errors at short, which is the only position he has played. Offensively though he banged out 26 home runs and drove in 67 with a slash line of .267/.410/.517/.927 at Reading. Improved plate discipline was the key with 95 walks and 111 strikeouts on the season.
Aroon Escobar, 2B, 21
Escobar’s numbers were down in 2026 off of what was thought to have been a breakout season in 2025. His power numbers fell just slightly from 15 to 12, but he dropped 40 points off of his average and hit just .230 this past season. He has good speed with 27 stolen bases in 34 attempts this season. Defensively, he fields his primary position of second base well. He can also play third base, but is not even an average defender at the hot corner. The kid is still very young and has time to develop.
Remaining Rule 5 Eligible Players
Braeden Fausnaught, LHP
Tristan Garnett, LHP
Mavis Graves, LHP
Wesley Moore, LHP
Andrew Walling, LHP
Danny Wilkinson, LHP
Luis Avila, RHP
Brandon Beckel, RHP
Wilmer Blanco, RHP
Ethan Chenault, RHP
Ryan Cusick, RHP
Jack Dallas, RHP
Jake Eddington, RHP
Josbel Garcia, RHP
Evan Gates, RHP
Orlando Gonzalez, RHP
Nate Karaffa, RHP
Daniel Harper, RHP
Christian McGowan, RHP
Naoel Mejia, RHP
Mitch Neunborn, RHP
Micah Ottenbreit, RHP
Jose Pena Jr., RHP
Danyony Pulido, RHP
Luke Russo, RHP
Casey Steward, RHP
Saul Teran, RHP
Braydon Tucker, RHP
Jordan Dissin, C
Angel Mata, C
Paul McIntosh, C
Caleb Ricketts, C
Guillermo Rosario, C
Alex Binelas, 1B
Brock Vradenburg, 1B
Trent Farquhar, 2B
Nikau Pouaka-Grego, 2B
Nick Biddison, 3B
Bryson Ware, 3B
Nolan Beltran, SS
Manolfi Jimenez, OF
Austin Murr, OF
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