Indians acquire John McDonald from Pirates
6/10/2013The Indians have acquired infielder John McDonald from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later or cash. McDonald, 38, was drafted by the Indians (12th round, 1996), and played for the Tribe from 1999 to 2004.
McDonald appeared in 16 games with the Pirates this year before being placed on the disabled list on May 15 with lower back discomfort and right elbow inflammation. He has been on a minor league rehab at Class AAA Indianapolis, where he hit .265.
McDonald has carved out a nice career as a utility infielder. He has spent parts of 15 years in the majors with the Indians, Blue Jays, Tigers, Diamondbacks and Pirates. He has a career batting average of .237.
During his career, McDonald has started games at shortstop (568), second base (209), third base (127) and left field (6).
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Indians moved pitcher Brett Myers from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Players on the 60-man DL do not count against a team’s 40-man roster. Myers has been on the DL since April 20 with tendinitis in his elbow.
McDonald will join the Indians Tuesday in Texas, and a roster move will be made Tuesday to get him on the 25-man roster. The most likely candidate for a demotion is infielder Juan Diaz.