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Phillies add four onto 40-man roster

RHP A.J. Achter claimed from Twins; Jimmy Cordero, Edubray Ramos, Roman Quinn added to avoid exposure to Rule 5 draft.

MATT KLENTAK added yet another pitcher and also moved three minor league prospects onto the 40-man roster Friday in anticipation for next month's Rule 5 draft.

The Phillies claimed righthander A.J. Achter off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and added righthanders Jimmy Cordero, Edubray Ramos and outfielder Roman Quinn to the 40-man roster. Achter is the fourth pitcher Klentak has added to the Phillies' inventory since he became the team's general manager last month. Achter joins veteran starter Jeremy Hellickson (trade), righthanded reliever Dan Otero (waivers) and lefthanded reliever James Russell (minor league deal).

Achter, 27, spent most of the 2015 season at Triple A Rochester, where he went 4-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 14 saves in 43 games. He also appeared in 11 games with the Twins last season, and didn't allow a run in seven of those appearances. The 6-5 righthander held opponents to a .167 average in Triple A and had a 8.81 strikeout rate (47 strikeouts in 48 innings).

With the lastest additions, the Phillies have 37 players on their 40-man roster.

Quinn, 22, a former second-round pick and the organization's second best outfield prospect after Nick Williams, was moved to the 40-man roster to avoid being eligible for the Rule 5 draft, held Dec. 10 in Nashville at baseball's Winter Meetings.

Quinn has hit .269 with a .735 OPS and has stolen 123 bases in 279 minor league games in the last four seasons, but has been plagued by injuries. A hip flexor injury ended Quinn's 2015 season in June; he is back to full health and playing in the Dominican Winter League.

Like Quinn, Cordero and Ramos are also ineligible for the Rule 5 draft. Cordero, 24, acquired in July in the trade that sent Ben Revere to Toronto, is seen by some as a future closer as he harnesses a Ken Giles-like, triple-digit fastball.

The most notable name still eligible for the Rule 5 draft before Friday's deadline to add players to the 40-man roster: outfielder Carlos Tocci. He is an elite defender, but his offensive game is considered raw: He hit .321 with an .810 OPS in 59 games at Low A Lakewood, but batted .258 with a .609 OPS in 68 games upon promotion to Class A Clearwater.

Tocci could be selected in next month's Rule 5 draft, but he would seem unlikely to stick with another team in 2016. Tocci only turned 20 in August, has never played above A ball, and he broke a bone in his left hand while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League last month.

Per Rule 5 rules, players must remain on their team's active 25-man roster for the duration of the major league season. If the player does not remain on the active big-league roster, he must be offered back to the team from which he was selected for $25,000 before being sent to the minor leagues.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese