First-rounders among prospects added to Dodgers' roster

The Dodgers selected the contracts of right-hander Zach Lee, lefty Chris Reed and outfielder Scott Schebler on Thursday, adding the three prospects to the 40-man roster and thus protecting them from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11.

The Dodgers had four open spots on their 40-man roster, so corresponding moves weren't necessary.

Lee was taken 28th overall in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and is rated the No. 6 Dodgers prospect by MLB.com. But the 23-year-old struggled mightily in his first season at Triple-A, going 7-13 with a 5.38 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP and a 1.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 150 2/3 innings at the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this past season. That performance came after a 2013 campaign that saw Lee win the Dodgers' Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award.

Reed, the No. 8 Dodgers prospect drafted 16th overall out of Stanford in 2011, finished this past season with a 4.26 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and a 2.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28 starts (23 in Double-A, five in Triple-A). The 24-year-old was a Southern League All-Star in Double-A and owns a 4.12 ERA in parts of four Minor League seasons in the Dodgers' organization.

Schebler, also a Southern League All-Star and the ninth-ranked Dodgers prospect, batted .280/.365/.566 with 28 homers, 73 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in his first season at Double-A Chattanooga, seeing time at all three outfield spots. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter, who was taken in the 26th round in 2010, was the Dodgers' 2013 Minor League Player of the Year.

If a player was 18 years old or younger during the First-Year Player Draft that resulted in him signing his first professional contract and five seasons have passed, or 19 or older the day of the Draft and four seasons have passed, he can be selected in the Rule 5 Draft if he's not on his team's 40-man roster.

Teams had until 8:59 p.m. PT on Thursday to add Rule 5 Draft-eligible players to the roster to protect them.