Left-hander JoJo Romero, the club's 10th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was a non-roster invitee to spring training last year and spent the season splitting time with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 23-year-old combined to go 7-9 over 24 starts while posting a 5.82 ERA.
Left-hander Garrett Cleavinger, 25, posted a 3.66 ERA for Double-A Reading and limited opponents to a .155 batting average over 34 relief appearances.
Right-hander Mauricio Llovera made 14 appearances with Double-A Reading, including 12 starts, while finishing 3-4 with a 4.55 ERA. The 23-year-old collected 72 strikeouts and averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
The fourth prospect, Cristopher Sanchez, was acquired via trade with Tampa Bay earlier on Wednesday and was added to the 40-man roster. The 22-year-old left-hander combined to go 4-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 24 games (10 starts) with stints at Single-A and Triple-A.
In exchange for Sanchez, the Phillies dealt away infielder Curtis Mead. The 19-year-old out of Australia hit .285 in 44 games with the GCL East Phils in 2019.
With the additions, the Phillies 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players.
The Phillies opted to not protect outfielders Jhailyn Ortiz and Corneilus Randolph. Ortiz was signed as an international free agent in 2015 and inked a $4 million signing bonus, the largest ever awarded by the Phillies. Unfortunately, he's struggled in four seasons in the minors, hitting just .200 last year at Single-A Clearwater and .227 for his career. He is, however, just 20-years-old.
As for Randolph, he was selected by the Phillies with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft. He's spent the past two seasons with Double-A Reading and posted a .244 average to go along with a .681 OPS.
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