Brown, Donald, Hodges all protected by Tribe

As expected, Columbus Clippers Jordan Brown and Jason Donald were among players added to the Cleveland Indians 40-man roster on Friday, protecting them from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December.
Brown, an outfielder not known for his defensive prowess, led the International League with a .336 batting average, but was surprisingly not called up by the Indians in September. Donald, meanwhile, was part of the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Philadelphia. He was one of two middle infielders added to the team’s 40-man roster Friday.
Other players protected by the organization include LHP Kelvin De La Cruz, RHP Jeanmar Gomes, INF Carlos Rivero, INF Wes Hodges and OF Nick Weglarz. Hodges played 86 games for Columbus in 2009, missing several games due to injuries.
According to MLB.com, the Indians have 37 players in their organization that could be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. There are however, no surprising names in that group.