CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians acquired infielder Christian Arroyo and right-hander Hunter Wood from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Ruben Cardenas and 2019-2020 International Signing Period slot money on Sunday.
Wood, 25, has spent most of the season with Tampa Bay, posting a 2.48 ERA in 19 games.
Arroyo has been on the injured list since June with tendinitis in his right forearm.
He’s bounced between Triple-A Durham and Tampa Bay this season that including three big league stints with the Rays. He posted a .220 batting average with two home runs and seven RBI in 16 games.
Arroyo was San Francisco’s first round pick (25th overall) in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
“We are excited to add Hunter and Christian to our organization. Hunter has pitched in a variety of roles throughout his Major League career over the last two seasons, relying on his fastball-cutter-changeup mix,” Indians President Chris Antonetti said in a statement. “Although Christian is currently rehabbing from an injury, we really like his bat-to-ball skills and defensive versatility to play a number of infield positions. We believe both players have a chance to contribute to our Major League team in the near future.”
On surface, #Rays’ trade of Arroyo and Wood for an OFer who was not one of #Indians’ top 30 prospects seems curious. But TB likes Ruben Cardenas, and both Arroyo and Wood would have been out of options next season and unlikely to jump past players ahead of them. Also…
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal)
July 28, 2019 Wood could join the Indians at some point this season, especially after Wednesday's trade deadline. The organization still has to figure out what its' plans are for Danny Salazar, who threw 69 pitches for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, allowing one hit in four innings.
Arroyo remains on the 60-day injured list and is unlikely to contribute to the big league club this season. The Indians optioned Woods to Triple-A Columbus. The club also put starter Jefry Rodriguez on the 60-day injured list to make room for both players on the 40-man roster.
