Red Sox: Jalen Beeks, Chandler Shepherd, Ty Buttery added to 40-man roster

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: Rain drops are seen on the Boston Red Sox dugout before game four of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: Rain drops are seen on the Boston Red Sox dugout before game four of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox announced on Monday the three players they would protect from the Rule 5 draft.

With the Winter Meetings approaching quickly, that means the Rule 5 draft is coming just as fast. The Boston Red Sox will be making moves, but they also did some housecleaning on Monday.

The Rule 5 draft is when the GM’s have another draft, except this time at the Winter Meetings. Teams can protect players from the Rule 5 draft by putting them on the 40-man roster. There are also some other built-in protections to keep teams from losing their top young prospects.

The Red Sox, in preparation for the Rule 5 draft, added three pitchers to the 40-man roster.

Jalen Beeks, Chandler Shepherd, and Ty Buttery found themselves on the 40-man roster, to protect them from the draft.

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All three of these guys spent some time in Triple-A Pawtucket this year, but none of them made an MLB appearance.

Beeks, a lefty starter, was pretty solid this season in Double-A and Triple-A. In time with both teams, he finished with a 3.29 ERA in 145 innings. He also compiled 155 strikeouts in those innings.

Shepherd, a right-handed reliever, pitched 59 and two-third innings this year in Pawtucket. He had 68 strikeouts in those 59 innings. Shepherd could be a key asset to the Red Sox this year. He has a nice chance at being a September call up. He could help the Sox down the stretch in some mid-relief innings in September.

Buttery, another right-handed reliever, spent some time in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, but he made his name in the Arizona Fall League. Buttery pitched to a 2.16 ERA in the AFL. He likely will not be a September call up option, but he provides an opportunity to be a good reliever down the road.

We gave you a list of names earlier today of guys who could make the roster, and we were pretty close. There were no shockers on the list of players added to the roster.

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