Banuelos among six added to Yankees' roster

NEW YORK -- Rehabbing prospect Manny Banuelos is among six players the Yankees added to their 40-man roster on Tuesday, thus protecting them from next month's Rule 5 Draft.

The team also claimed right-hander Mickey Storey off waivers from the Astros and added outfielder Ramon Flores, right-handers Brett Marshall and Jose Ramirez, and lefties Francisco Rondon and Nik Turley to the 40-man roster, which now stands at 39. Right-hander Dave Herndon elected for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Storey, 26, made his big league debut with the Astros in August, posting a 3.86 ERA in 26 relief appearances. A 31st-round Draft pick of the A's, he began the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he went 7-4 with two saves and a 3.05 ERA in 36 relief appearances and two starts.

Banuelos, 21, missed almost the entire season with a sore left elbow, and he underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 4. He made only six starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA after opening the year as the Yankees' fourth-ranked prospect on MLB.com's 2012 Prospect Watch.

Flores, 20, spent the majority of the season with Class A Tampa, batting .302 with six home runs and 39 RBIs in 131 games. He also appeared in one game with Double-A Trenton, hitting a home run.

Marshall, 22, spent the 2012 season with Trenton, going 13-7 with a 3.52 ERA and a team-leading 120 strikeouts in 27 starts.

Ramirez, 22, went 7-6 with a 3.19 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) with Tampa in 2012. Rondon, 24, combined to go 5-0 with one save and a 3.93 ERA in 44 relief appearances for Tampa, Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And Turley, 23, went 9-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 23 games (21 starts) for Tampa before a late-season promotion to Trenton.

Major League regulations stipulate that any player who signed his first professional contract before age 19 and has been in the organization for five years, or who signed after age 19 and has been in the organization for four years, is eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft if left unprotected. Thus, such players as Banuelos and Flores must be added to the 40-man roster, whereas younger prospects are safe.

If selected, a player must remain on his new team's active roster or disabled list all season or be offered back to his original club at a discounted price.