Tampa Bay Rays Acquire Trevor Plouffe, Designate Michael Martinez for Assignment

Over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Trevor Plouffe from the Oakland Athletics (Plouffe had been designated for assignment earlier in the week). To clear space on the Rays roster, they transferred Matt Andriese to the 60-day DL and now to add Plouffe to the active roster, the Rays have designated Michael Martinez for assignment.

Plouffe is playing in his eighth major league season, having spent the past seven with the Minnesota Twins playing mostly at replacement level with the exception of a couple of breakout years in 2014 and 2015. However, following a down year in 2016, Plouffe became a free agent and signed with the Athletics.

The Rays are acquiring Plouffe with the hope that he’ll help solidify their lineup against left-handed pitching, against whom the Rays have struggled in 2017. Plouffe currently has a 99 wRC+ against LHP this season and a 120 wRC+ against them over his career.

Michael Martinez’s Rays tenure lasted just over a month after being acquired from the Cleveland Indians in mid-May. During his time with the Rays, he was used very sparingly by Kevin Cash, as he played in just 13 games and only received 29 plate appearances over that time.