Phillies lose Hoby Milner, add minor league shortstop in Rule 5 Draft

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Left-hander Hoby Milner posted a 3.53 ERA during five seasons in the Phillies farm system (Kevin Durso/Philliedelphia)

 

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor  

The Philadelphia Phillies entered Thursday's Rule-5 Draft will a full 40-man roster, but they were still at risk to lose a few players from their minor league system. They only ended up losing one as the Cleveland Indians selected Phillies minor league reliever Hoby Milner in the Major League phase of the draft.

Milner, 25, has been in the Phillies minor league system since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. This past season, he split time between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, going a combined 5-4 with a 2.49 ERA and six saves. 

As a part of the Rule-5 guidelines, The Indians muct keep Milner on the 25-man Major League roster throughout the regular season. If they decide that he doesn't fit at the big league level, the have the option of returning him back to the Phillies.

In the minor league phase of the draft, the Phillies picked up shortstop Jorge Flores from Toronto's Triple-A club. The 25-year-old was selected in the 19th round of the 2012 draft by the Blue Jays. This past season, he hit a combined .211 with 15 doubles, two triples and three home runs between Advanced 'A' and Double-A. He's a career .256 hitter in the minor leagues. Flores will likely report to either Reading or Lehigh Valley in 2017.

In the Double-A phase of the draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected right-hander Jairo Munoz from the Phillies minor league system. Munoz, 25, pitched in seven games last season between the GCL and Advanced 'A' Clearwater, posting a 1.00 ERA

Former Phillies Rule-5 reliever Daniel Stumpf was picked up by the Tigers from the Royals in the Major League phase. Philadelphia returned Stumpf to the Royals after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He only played seven games with the Phillies, three before being suspended 80 games.

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