Phillies unlikely to pick in Rule 5 Draft

OXON HILL, Md. - The Phillies have the eighth pick in Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft but it appears they will not make a selection.

The team's 40-man roster is full and they would need to designate a player for assignment in order to make a pick on Thursday. The Phillies front office met on Tuesday morning and discussed possible targets just in case things changed. They drafted Odubel Herrera in 2014 and Tyler Goodell in 2015.

"Unless something changes, then yes we'll sit out," general manager Matt Klentak said.

The Phillies could stand to lose players in the draft. According to two baseball sources, outfielder Andrew Pullin and lefthanded reliever Hoby Milner are considered favorites to be drafted.

Pullin, 23, retired before the start of last season but returned in May. He batted .346 with 10 homer and a .393 on-base percentage in 188 double-A at-bats. Milner, 25, had a 1.84 ERA in 38 games at double-A Reading before ending the season at triple A. Both players were left off the 40-man roster due to the Phillies roster crunch.