Rays acquire Trevor Plouffe from Athletics

The Rays have acquired third baseman Trevor Plouffe and cash from the Athletics in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, as first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Plouffe, who signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal with Oakland in January, was designated for assignment by the A’s this week after hitting just .214/.276/.357 in 58 games. He was replaced by top prospect Matt Chapman, who was promoted from Triple-A.

Plouffe provides a bench option for the Rays behind corner infielders Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison, joining recent pickups Taylor Featherston and Michael Martinez as backup infield options. Plouffe figured to be of interest to the Yankees and Red Sox, who are both looking for third base help and have been linked to free agent Jhonny Peralta.

Plouffe, 31, is a veteran of eight major-league seasons with the Twins (2010-16) and Athletics (2017), owning a career .245/.306/.416 line with 103 homers in that span. He was a productive offensive player for Minnesota from 2013 to 2015.

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