Cards add A. Garcia to 40-man roster

ST. LOUIS -- Beginning the process of protecting players from the December Rule 5 Draft, the Cardinals added outfielder Anthony Garcia to their 40-man roster on Thursday by purchasing his contract from Triple-A Memphis. The move bumps the number of players on the organization's roster to 33.

Garcia, 23, played most of 2015 in Double-A before appearing in 18 Triple-A games to end his season. Combined, Garcia hit .283/.391/.477 over 105 games in what was his first season playing at any level above Class A. Garcia finished with 26 doubles, 13 homers and nearly as many RBIs (64) as strikeouts (65).

Garcia also made an impression playing for Team Puerto Rico in the Pan Am Games this summer. In eight games, Garcia tallied 11 hits over 28 at-bats. His team finished in fourth place.

It was a breakthrough season for Garcia, an 18th-round pick out of Puerto Rico in the 2009 MLB Draft. He started as a catcher in the organization before transitioning to a full-time outfielder. His addition to the roster sets Garcia up to participate in Major League camp next spring for the first time in his career.