The Cardinals selected Hjerpe's (elbow) contract from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Hjerpe is expected to miss the first portion of the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, but the Cardinals will grant him a 40-man spot anyway to ensure he doesn't get selected by another club during the Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old lefty owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across his minor-league career and will presumably return to Double-A once he's deemed fully healthy.

The Phillies selected McFarlane's contract from Double-A Reading on Tuesday.

McFarlane made his return from Tommy John surgery in 2025 and spent most of the season with High-A Jersey Shore, posting a 4.79 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 73.1 innings. The right-hander is likely still a couple years away from seeing the majors, but the Phillies still opted to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

The Phillies selected Painter's contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

The 2021 first-round pick returned to action last season for the first time since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he endured some struggles at Lehigh Valley with a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 111:46 K:BB over 106.2 innings. Painter's workload was encouraging, however, and his standing as Philadelphia's top pitching prospect lines him up to potentially make his MLB debut in 2026.

The Royals selected Zobac's contract from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander missed time in 2025 due to a knee injury, which limited him to 14 appearances. Zobac spent most of the campaign with Northwest Arkansas and had a 7.68 ERA over 36.1 innings, but the Royals still elected to shield him from potentially being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

The Royals selected Kudrna's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old righty spent most of last season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he had a 4.21 ERA over 94 innings. Kudrna made four appearances for Omaha late in the season and struggled at the highest level of the minors with a 14.29 ERA.

The Padres selected Mendez's contract from Double-A San Antonio on Tuesday.

The right-hander is one of San Diego's top prospects, so his addition to the 40-man roster was to be expected ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. Mendez posted a 1.78 ERA and 11.2 K/9 over 75.2 frames in the lower minors during 2025 but surrendered 20 earned runs over six late-season starts after being promoted to Double-A.

The White Sox selected McDougal's contract from Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday.

McDougal turned in a 3.26 ERA and 1.33 WHIP to go with a 136:49 K:BB over 113.1 innings between High-A and Double-A in 2025. Considered one of the top pitching prospects in the White Sox's farm system, the 22-year-old will officially receive a spot on the 40-man roster to prevent another team from selecting him in the Rule 5 Draft, and he has a strong chance to make his MLB debut in 2026 and join a talent-deficient White Sox rotation.

The Red Sox selected Drohan's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Drohan missed nearly four months of the Triple-A season with a forearm injury but was extremely effective when healthy, turning in a 2.27 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 67:16 K:BB through 47.2 innings. The 26-year-old southpaw will be ineligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December now that he owns a spot on Boston's 40-man roster, and he could compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster if his strong performance continues into spring training.

The Red Sox selected Sandlin's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Sandlin began 2025 at Double-A Portland and posted a 3.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 82.1 innings before receiving a promotion to Worcester. The 24-year-old righty struggled upon arriving at Triple-A (7.61 ERA, 2.07 WHIP), but the Red Sox will give him a 40-man spot to ensure he remains with the organization past December's Rule 5 Draft. He is likely to report to Worcester to begin the 2026 season.

The Angels selected Urena's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

The right-hander spent most of the 2025 campaign at Double-A Rocket City, where he had a 4.33 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 121:74 K:BB across 139.1 innings. Urena moved up to Triple-A for his final outing of the season and could be back at the highest level of the minors to begin 2026.