The White Sox added catcher Josh Phegley, outfielder Jared Mitchell, right-handers Andre Rienzo and Charles Shirek and left-hander Santos Rodriguez to the 40-man roster Tuesday, protecting those prospects from being taken by other teams in the Rule 5 draft next month.
The Rule 5 draft, held Dec. 6 on the last day of the winter meetings in Nashville, allows teams to draft unprotected players for $50,000. Those drafted players must stay on the 25-man major league roster all season.
The Sox 40-man roster stands at 39.
Phegley, 24, is known for his defense — he threw out 30 of 65 base stealers at AAA Charlotte in 2012 and won the MiLB Rawlings Gold Glove Award for catchers while batting .266 with 49 RBI — and will have a chance to make the 25-man if A.J. Pierzynski is lost in free agency and another catcher is not acquired.
Mitchell, 24, split last season between AA Birmingham and Charlotte, hitting .237 with 13 triples, 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 69 runs scored and 21 stolen bases over 130 combined games.
Rienzo, 24, split 2012 between Class A Winston-Salem, Birmingham and Charlotte, going 7-3 with a 2.53 ERA and 113 strikeouts over 18 starts. Rienzois a member of Team Brazil, which qualified for the first round of the World Baseball Classic by upsetting Panama Monday.
Rodriguez, 24, was 2-4 with a 2.90 ERA over 71 1/3 innings, eight saves and 69 strikeouts between Birmingham and Charlotte.
Shirek, 27, was 11-5 with a 3.65 ERA and 117 strikeouts over an International League high 170 1/3 innings. While the other four were expected ahead of tonight’s deadline, Shirek was something of a surprise.
