Joey

Butler

Butler hit .291/.395/.437 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI in 119 games this season at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old outfielder could draw interest from other teams.

Butler posted a promising .291/.395/.437 batting line with 12 home runs and 51 RBI in 119 games this season at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old will serve as organizational outfield depth for St. Louis.

The move clears a spot for Alex Rios on the active roster. Butler returns to a .290/.375/.437 batting line with 10 home runs and 44 RBI in 97 games with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Butler was designated for assignment earlier in the week, but passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as depth for the Tribe.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Andrew Miller. Butler has hit .206/.289/.441 over 38 plate appearances with the Indians this season.

Butler spent all of 2016 at Triple-A in the Indians organization, hitting just .240/.318/.344 with eight homers. Slated to turn 31 next month, Butler is merely a depth guy.

The Rays were down 5-0, but Butler reduced the deficit with a two-run double in the sixth inning. The DH has been a force since getting called up in early May, hitting .327/.358/.519 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 109 plate appearances. We don’t expect him to keep hitting at this rate, but he’s a low-risk flier, especially in AL-only leagues.

Butler has made nine starts since being called up May 3 and hit .258 with two homers and six RBI in 31 at-bats. We’d rather see the Rays play Brandon Guyer if it comes down to one of the other, but manager Kevin Cash has been finding quite a bit of time for both with Desmond Jennings out. Guyer didn’t start tonight, but he did replace Butler for defense.

Butler also scored one of the two runs plated by the Rays in an all-around solid game for the designated hitter. All three of his steals this season have come in his last two games. He’s seeing increased playing time with Desmond Jennings out injured and is slashing .348/.376/.551 over 89 at-bats. Butler’s not as good as he’s currently playing, but so long as he keeps hitting (he’s on a six-game hitting streak at the moment), there’s no reason not to ride the bat while it’s hot if you’re in a deeper AL-only format.

Butler singled and scored the Rays’ first of two runs in the third inning. Butler also singled in the fourth inning, helping set up another two-run frame, then later stole third base but was stranded. The DH has four multi-hit games in his last five and is batting a sizzling .344/.378/.516 with four home runs, 16 RBI, and four stolen bases.