Which Phillies prospects could the team protect from the Rule 5 draft?

The Phillies have more than a handful of prospects that could be eligible for the Rule 5 draft later this offseason.

To protect those prospects from the draft, the Phillies must add them to the organization’s 40-man roster before the Nov. 18 deadline.

Here are five prospects the organization could protect from the Rule 5 draft.

RHP Andrew Painter

Painter is likely a lock to be added to the Phillies 40-man roster this winter. He’s arguably their top prospect.

The right-hander is coming off his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2023. He spent most of his time pitching at Triple-A.

Painter pitched a career-high 118 innings this year across 26 starts. He finished with a 5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 123 strikeouts. Inconsistent command and home runs were an issue for the 22-year-old; he walked 47 batters and gave up 20 homers.

Even without a stellar 2025, Painter figures to be in line to compete for a starting rotation spot come spring training. He’s still regarded as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects. He’ll turn 23 in early April.

OF Gabriel Rincones Jr.

The Phillies would likely add Rincones to the 40-man roster projecting him to be part of their outfield depth in 2026. He mostly played right field at Triple-A this year.

A left-handed hitter, Rincones has pop in his bat. He hit 18 home runs in 2025 and slugged .430. He also posted a .370 on-base percentage and 73 RBIs.

Rincones is only a viable option against right-handed pitching. He made just 65 plate appearances against lefties in 2025 and batted .107 with a .322 OPS. Against righties, Rincones hit .261/.392/.480. The 24-year-old finished the season strong, batting .266/.387/.490 with 10 home runs during the second half.

Rincones won’t be a full-time player in the majors nor is he a strong candidate to make the 2026 Opening Day roster. But with uncertainty surrounding the Phillies outfield this winter, the organization probably wants to guarantee he stays around, as depth, for 2026.

RHP Alex McFarlane

McFarlane, like Painter and Rincones, is a good candidate to be added to the Phillies 40-man roster in the coming weeks.

After missing all of 2024 following Tommy John surgery, most of the right-hander’s innings came at High-A in 2025. Overall, he made 28 appearances (18 starts and 10 relief appearances) in the minors.

The surface-level numbers weren’t great — a 4.84 ERA with a 12.4% walk rate. But McFarlane has a fastball that can reach triple digits; he could be very effective out of the bullpen. And given the Phillies’ lack of relief depth, moving to a full-time relief role in 2026 would make McFarlane a much more interesting prospect.

McFarlane doesn’t turn 25 until next June. Like Rincones, he’s someone who doesn’t profile as a guy to make next year’s roster out of spring training, but makes sense to guarantee he’s around as depth.

RHP Griff McGarry and OF Felix Reyes

McGarry and Reyes are less-than-certain candidates to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

McGarry, 26, wasn’t protected by the Phillies a year ago. He went unselected. Moving back to a starter’s role, he was the organization’s 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

McGarry made 21 starts (17 at Double-A) and pitched to the tune of a 3.44 ERA across 83 2/3 innings with 124 strikeouts and 49 walks in 2025.

Reyes, who turns 25 in March, played corner outfield and some corner infield for Double-A Reading this year. Spending most of his time with Reading, Reyes batted .335 with a .923 OPS.

Reyes bats right-handed and finished his year at Triple-A (six games). He’s an interesting player, at the very least.