Duensing among eight added to Twins roster

Nick Laham, Getty Images

Brian Duensing, a U.S. Olympian, was added to the Twins 40-man roster Wednesday.

Reliever Brian Duensing -- a 2008 Olympian -- and seven other prospects are protected from the Rule 5 draft.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 20, 2008 - 7:02 AM

The Twins added eight prospects to their 40-man roster Wednesday, protecting Olympian Brian Duensing and seven others from being taken in the Dec. 11 Rule 5 draft.

The others added to the roster were Drew Butera, Luke Hughes, Trevor Plouffe, Wilson Ramos, Deibinson Romero, Anthony Swarzak and Steve Tolleson.

The Twins now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.

"We wanted to leave ourselves room either for a Rule 5 draft pick or to add a free agent," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said.

Smith said there were four other prospects under consideration for the 40-man, though he declined to name them.

"You hope to be able to skate through the Rule 5 draft without losing them," he said.

Players signed at age 18 or younger are eligible for the Rule 5 draft after four years. Players signed at 19 or older are eligible after three years.

Notable Twins prospects left unprotected were Jay Rainville, Zach Ward, Ryan Mullins, David Winfree and Erik Lis.

Of the eight players the Twins did add, Duensing might have the highest profile and Ramos the highest ceiling.

Duensing, 25, went 5-11 with a 4.28 ERA for Class AAA Rochester and also posted a 1.17 ERA in four relief appearances at the Beijing Olympics.

Ramos, 21, a catcher from Venezuela, batted .288 with 13 home runs with Class A Fort Myers in the pitcher-friendly ballparks of the Florida State League.

Swarzak, 23, went 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts for Rochester after struggling at Class AA New Britain.

Hughes, 24, batted .283 for Rochester after a midseason promotion from New Britain.

Plouffe, 22, the Twins' top pick in the 2004 draft, batted .253 after a midseason promotion from New Britain to Rochester.

Another infielder, Tolleson, 25, batted .300 with 28 doubles for New Britain and has helped his stock by batting .385 in the Arizona Fall League.

Romero, 22, batted .268 for Class A Beloit, but the third baseman missed half of the season because of a broken leg.

Butera, who came to the Twins in the 2007 trade for infielder Luis Castillo, has major league catching skills but batted only .219 this year for New Britain.

"We like this group," Smith said. "They have a lot of talent."