Rays add four players to 40-man roster

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Tampa Bay Rays have added shortstops Tim Beckham and Hak-Ju Lee and left-handed pitchers Felipe Rivero and Enny Romero to their 40-man roster.

Beckham, 22, spent the 2012 season at Triple-A Durham and hit .256 (73-for-285) with six home runs, 28 RBI and six stolen bases in 72 games.  After the season, he was ranked as the Rays No. 8 prospect by Baseball America.  The Griffin, Ga., native was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2008 June Draft and has hit .264 over five minor league seasons.

Lee, who turned 22 on November 4, finished his second season in the Rays organization batting .261 (124-for-475) with four home runs, 10 triples, 37 RBI and 37 stolen bases over 116 games for Double-A Montgomery in 2012.  Following the season, the Korean shortstop was named the Best Baserunner in the organization by the Rays baseball operations staff and ranked as the No. 1 position player prospect (No. 3 overall) in the Rays system by Baseball America.  He was acquired by the Rays after the 2010 season as part of a five-player trade with the Chicago Cubs that included Matt Garza.  Over four minor league seasons, he has hit .287 with 127 stolen bases.

Rivero, 21, went 8-8 with a 3.41 ERA (113.1-IP, 43-ER) in 27 appearances (21 starts) at Class-A Bowling Green in 2012.  He represented the World Team in the XM Futures Game at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium in July.  The left-hander has a career 3.47 ERA over four minor league seasons.

Romero, 21, posted a 5-7 record with a 3.93 ERA (126-IP, 55-ER) over 25 appearances (23 starts) at Class-A Charlotte in 2012.  The southpaw was teammates with Rivero on the World Team in the XM Futures Game and was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Rays organization by Baseball America after the season.  He has a career 3.67 ERA and 376 strikeouts in 370 innings pitched over five minor league seasons.