Three minor leaguers added to Nats' 40-man roster

The Nationals have selected the contracts of catcher Spencer Kieboom, infielder Chris Bostick and left-hander Nick Lee, adding the trio of prospects to the 40-man roster.

By adding the trio to the 40-man, the Nationals will protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, which will be the final order of business at the Winter Meetings in Nashville on Dec. 10. The deadline for setting the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft is tomorrow.

Kieboom, 24, was a fifth-round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Clemson. He hit .248 with two homers and 26 RBIs in 74 games for Single-A Potomac last season when his campaign was cut short by concussion issues. In 13 games with the Arizona Fall League's Salt River Rafters, Kieboom has slashed ,238/.373/.381 with two homers and seven RBIs. He is regarded as a plus defender and threw out 41 percent of attempted base stealers (77-for-189) over his three minor league seasons.

Bostick, 22, came to the Nationals last winter from the Rangers in the Ross Detwiler trade. Bostick hit .258 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs between SIngle-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2015, earning a spot in the AFL, where he's tied for the Salt River lead in homers (four) and has driven in 12 runs while hitting .268 in 12 games. He's primarily a second baseman, but can also play shortstop and left field.

Lee, 24, was an 18th-round selection by the Nationals in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Weatherford (Texas) College. He has pitched to an 0-1 record and 4.05 ERA in six AFL appearances with Salt River after going 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 10 saves between Potomac and Harrisburg last season, his first as a reliever after being primarily a starter earlier in his career. Last season, he limited foes to a .216 average against.

The 40-man roster now stands at 38.

One of the players not added to the 40-man is third baseman Matt Skole, who was the team's 2012 minor league Player of the Year after slugging 27 home runs and driving in 104 runs while playing for Single-A Hagerstown and Potomac.