Phillies waive infielder Rivero to make room for Rollins

The Phillies have waived infielder Carlos Rivero to clear a roster spot for shortstop Jimmy Rollins, and signed two veteran players to minor league deals with invitations to big-league spring training.

Rivero, 23, was claimed by the Washington Nationals. He hit .270 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI in 136 games with Double A Reading and Triple A Lehigh Valley last season. He played seven games in Triple A, hitting .185 with a homer and five RBI, the first time he has been in Triple A in a 6-year minor league career.

Rollins re-signed with the Phillies on Monday. The roster now stands at 40 players.

The team signed veteran free agents Hector Luna, a 31-year-old infielder, and Luiz Montanez, a 30-year-old outfielder.

Luna spent last season at Triple A Pawtucket in the Red Sox system, where he batted .283 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI in 113 games. For his major league career, he has hit .265 with 13 home runs and 86 RBI in 311 games between the Cardinals (2004-06), Indians (2006), Blue Jays (2007-08) and Marlins (2010).

Montanez spent the majority of last season with Triple A Iowa in the Cubs organization. With Iowa last year, he hit .321 with 22 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs and 69 RBI in 92 games.

He also spent time with the Cubs in 2011, appearing in 36 games, including 12 starts in the outfield.

He previously appeared in the major leagues with Baltimore from 2008 to 2010.