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Red Sox Acquire Mike Aviles From Royals

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Mike Aviles from the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, giving up infielder Yamaico Navarro and minor league pitcher Kendal Volz in the trade.

Aviles was batting .222 with five home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 games with the Royals. He's expected to fill a utility infielder's role with the Red Sox. Aviles spent part of the season at Triple-A Omaha and had been unhappy with his lack of playing time since being recalled July 20.

He'll give the Red Sox some insurance until Jed Lowrie comes off the disabled list. Lowrie, sidelined by a sore shoulder, will begin a rehab assignment Monday.

"A guy I think our organization has kinda liked from afar for a while," Boston manager Terry Francona said of Aviles.

"He's that guy who can really hit left-handers, actually both, but the ability to play short, second, third. ... He can run, hit the ball out of the ballpark. How we would use him, I don't know. Some of this is probably going to depend on Jed because Jed isn't too far away," Francona added. "But he seems excited to be here and we're happy to have him. At some point, I think we'd like to get him to the outfield because I think we think he can do it. He hasn't done that yet, but we'll see."

Navarro was hitting .216 in 16 games with the Red Sox. While Navarro will likely fill Aviles' utility spot for the time being, his role could expand.

"He has a chance to be a good everyday player," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "We got him for his upside in the bat. He's 23 years old and he can play short, third and occasionally second."

"Some people think his best position might be second base, but we've got to look at him and find out," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.

Navarro batted .258 with five homers and 13 RBIs at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Francona said Navarro was surprised to hear he'd been dealt.

"I think it's good for him because he'll probably get a chance to play more than he would here. We certainly wish him well. These things happen quick and he was just taken by surprise a little bit," Francona said. "He was more worried about 'What do I do with my clothes that are in Boston?' and things you probably forget about that guys have to contend with."

Volz, a 23-year-old right-hander, was 2-3 with two saves and a 3.33 ERA in 31 relief appearances for Class A Salem. He will report to Class A Wilmington.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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