Padres protect left-handers Castillo, Wieck

The Padres selected the contracts of left-handed pitchers Jose Castillo and Brad Wieck, the club announced on Monday. Those additions put San Diego's 40-man roster at capacity.
The deadline to protect any eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft was Monday at 5 p.m. PT. The Padres used their two available roster spots on Castillo and Wieck, leaving outfielder Franmil Reyes and right-hander T.J. Weir unprotected. None of the Padres' top 30 prospects are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
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Any players selected in the Rule 5 Draft, which will be held at next month's Winter Meetings, must remain in the Major Leagues for an entire season or they're offered back to their original clubs.
Castillo, 21, is entering his fourth year in the Padres' organization after being acquired from the Rays in the three-team trade that brought Wil Myers to San Diego. Castillo posted a 2.88 ERA through 47 relief appearances with Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio last season. Castillo also competed for Venezuela in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Wieck, 26, was acquired by the Padres in a trade with the Mets in 2015. The 2014 seventh-round Draft pick struggled after making the jump from San Antonio to Triple-A El Paso this summer. Wieck posted a 10.29 ERA in nine appearances for the Chihuahuas (after a 2.64 mark in Double-A).