Ahead of Monday's non-waiver trade deadline, the Indians acquired outfielder Brandon Guyer from the Tampa Bay Rays for two prospects and designated third baseman Juan Uribe for assignment.
Guyer, 30, is a right-handed outfielder who can play all three spots and hits left-handed pitching especially well. This season Guyer is hitting .344 with a 1.082 OPS against lefties, which allows the Indians to pair him and Rajai Davis with left-handed outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Tyler Naquin.
The Indians are sending the Rays two prospects, outfielder Nathan Lukes and pitcher Jhonleider Salinas.
Uribe was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Guyer and on the 25-man roster for Andrew Miller. A corresponding move on the 25-man roster will still have to be made once Guyer is in Cleveland.
Uribe has struggled lately, now hitting .206 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs this season on top of a few defensive miscues. The move would allow Jose Ramirez to find regular playing time at third base.
