Extra bases

The Cubs are not expected to select a player in the Major League portion of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, but they may take a player in the later rounds.

The Cubs lost their pick in the Major League portion after the Phillies filed a grievance regarding Chicago's use of reliever Lendy Castillo. In December 2011, the Cubs selected Castillo from the Phillies' organization, and he spent most of the 2012 season on the disabled list with a groin injury.

Any player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must stay on a team's active roster for the entire season. To prevent abuse of the Draft, the player selected must be active for at least 90 days. That keeps teams from selecting players and placing them on the DL for the majority of the season.

Last year, the Cubs picked Hector Rondon from the Indians' organization in the Rule 5 Draft.