Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays have acquired first baseman/outfielder Marc Krauss from the Angels in exchange for minor league right-hander Kyle Winker.
Krauss hit .143 (5-for-35) with one home run and five RBI over 11 games during a brief stint with the Angels in May, but he has spent most of the season in Triple-A. A former second-round pick of the Diamondbacks, the 27-year-old has shown some power and patience in the minors, but he owns an ugly .194/.268/.335 batting line over 392 major league plate appearances and has struck out 28.1 percent of the time. Still, the Rays plan to give him some playing time at first base against right-handed pitching.
To make room for Krauss on the active roster, the Rays are sending Nick Franklin down to Triple-A Durham. Acquired from the Mariners in the three-team David Price deal last July, the 24-year-old was batting just .139 (10-for-72) with one home run and a .455 OPS over 28 games.
Winker, 25, owns a 4.81 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 over four seasons in the minors. He has pitched between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
