The Indians announced today that they have designated outfielder Joey Butler for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Andrew Miller.
The 30-year-old Butler has a bit of MLB experience but hasn’t played in the Majors with the Indians this season, instead spending the 2016 campaign at Triple-A Columbus, where he’s slashed a disappointing .238/.306/.360 with eight homers in 381 trips to the plate. Butler spent the 2015 season with the Rays organization and hit .276/.326/.416 with eight homers in 276 PAs. This season’s poor results notwithstanding, Butler has a nice track record in Triple-A over the course of his professional career. In 2187 PAs at that level, Butler is a .294/.383/.459 hitter.
I bet the Angels are salivating over the fact that they can acquire the #1 prospect in their system for nothing.
#1 prospect in WHOSE system?
Nobody’s gonna claim Butler. He’s 30 and hitting poorly in AAA- might as well just claim Barnes from Colorado, he’s at least a great clubhouse guy and a semi-serviceable bench guy.