The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Houston Astros outfielder Ben Francisco in a trade for a player to be named later. Francisco is hitting.242/.292/.370 with two home runs, seven RBI and a .662 OPS in 144 plate appearances between Houston and Toronto.
Francisco was traded to Toronto to Houston earlier this summer as a part of a 10 player trade, J. A. Happ was traded with David Carpenter and Brandon Lyon to Toronto for right-handed pitchers Asher Wojciechowski and Joseph Musgrove, left-handed pitcher David Rollins, catcher Carlos Perez, Francisco and closer Francisco Cordero.
The Rays have struggled offensively throughout the 2012 season. Francisco would be eligible for the postseason for the Rays. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated for assignment pitcher Albert Suarez, who was 5-9 with a 4.08 ERA at Class A Charlotte.
