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The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired outfielder Brett Phillips from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for infielder Lucius Fox, it is being reported.
Phillips, 26, is a lefthanded hitting centerfielder who has bounced around a fair amount. A sixth round pick by the Houston Astros in 2012, he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the package for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez in July, 2015. Phillips then went to Kansas City in the trade deadline deal in 2018 that sent Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee.
Phillips has a career .205/.282/.344 slash line in 358 plate appearances between the Brewers and the Royals, and is out of options, so the Rays have to keep him on the major league roster or expose him to waivers.
Fox, 23, is a former big dollar international signee of the San Francisco Giants out of the Bahamas. He went to Tampa in the summer of 2016 in the deal that sent Matt Moore to the Giants and Matt Duffy to the Rays. He’s been a disappointment, slashing .244/.337/.325 in 1811 plate appearances in the minors, and spent most of 2019 in AA.