Rays unlikely to select player in Rule 5 Draft

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Rays have one opening on their 40-man roster, but it's unlikely they will select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft Thursday morning.

"We haven't been that active [in the Rule 5]," executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We go through the names thoroughly, and everything else, but since '08 it's hard for us to not only allocate for a 25-man spot to a Rule 5 player, but also a 40-man spot. Can't do anything with that spot until the middle of March. It's just a long time to potentially lock up a 40-man spot. So it's something we're just not all that active in."

Tampa Bay has not selected a player in the Major League phase since picking left-hander Cesar Cabral with the 14th pick in 2010.