Royals Trade Mike Aviles to Red Sox
By Editorial Staff
The Boston Red Sox added some depth to their infield today when they swung a trade with the Royals for Mike Aviles. Kansas City received utility man Yamaico Navarro and pitcher Kendal Volz in return for the 30 year old.
Aviles struggled at the major league level to begin the season, only managing an OPS of .648 through the beginning of June. His lackluster performance resulted in a demotion to Triple-A, where Aviles was seemingly able to regain his confidence at the plate. In 35 minor league games, Aviles hit 9 home runs and drove in 25 runs while posting an OPS of .915.
Aviles returned to the majors in the middle of July and it looked as if his success may have been carrying over. Over his 6 games played in July, Aviles collected 5 hits in 16 at bats with 2 doubles and an RBI.
Boston hopes that he can sustain his level of play and return to the player many expected Aviles to become after his solid 2008 season in which he finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting. Over his 4 year major league career, Aviles has held an OPS of .734. He also provides defensively flexibility for the club, as he’s covered second, third and short this season for the Royals.
Navarro was currently with Boston, where he’s played 16 games this season. The 23 year old has seen much of his time with the Red Sox Triple and Double-A affiliates over the past few years, and has a career line of .280/.349/.432 over parts of 6 seasons in the minors.
Volz is a minor league reliever that has spent 2011 with the Sox High-A club. The 23 year old’s held an ERA of 3.33 over 51.1 innings of work with a 1.05 WHIP. What’s most impressive about Volz is his ability to strikeout batters at a high rate (career 8.1 SO/9) while limiting his number of free passes (career 1.4 BB/9).
For more on the Red Sox and Royals, be sure to check out BoSox Injection and Kings of Kauffman.