Rays acquire infielder Drew Sutton from Pirates

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired switch-hitting infielder Drew Sutton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.  He is expected to join the Rays tonight and a corresponding move will be made at that time.

Sutton, who turns 29 on June 30, was acquired yesterday by Pittsburgh from the Atlanta Braves, where he had spent the season playing for Gwinnett (AAA).  He hit .270 (37-for-137) with 10 doubles, two triples and a .374 on-base percentage in 38 games for Gwinnett, playing mostly third base.

Sutton has spent parts of three seasons in the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds (2009-10), Cleveland Indians (2010) and Boston Red Sox (2011) while spending time at all four infield positions as well as left field and right field.  Over three stints with Boston in 2011, he hit .315 (17-for-51) with seven RBI, seven doubles, 11 runs scored and a .444 slugging percentage in 31 games, appearing most often at third base (eight games) and second base (seven).  He is a career .258 (41-for-159) hitter with three home runs, 24 RBI, 12 doubles and a .403 slugging percentage.

Sutton was selected out of Baylor University by the Houston Astros in the 15th round of the 2004 June Draft, the same year the Astros drafted Ben Zobrist.