Indians exercise club option on Mike Aviles

The Indians have decided to exercise their $3.5 million club option on infielder Mike Aviles, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The Tribe would have been forced to pay Aviles a buyout of $250K, had they chosen to decline the option.

Aviles is coming off his second season with the Indians. He signed a two-year, $6 million extension in February of 2013. Aviles, along with teammate Yan Gomes, joined Cleveland in a trade with Toronto during the 2013 offseason. Aviles was with Toronto for less than one month, after previously being acquired in a trade with Boston.

For the 2014 season, Aviles posted a .616 OPS in 374 plate appearances. Despite the poor offensive numbers, Aviles provided manager Terry Francona plenty of versatility, starting at six different positions and being known as a strong leader in the clubhouse. In 2015, Aviles will provide depth behind infielders Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, and likely rookie Francisco Lindor.