NASHVILLE, Tenn: The Indians on Monday claimed outfielder Joey Butler off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Butler, 29, last season hit .276 with 8 home runs, 12 doubles, 30 RBI and five steals in 88 games with Tampa Bay between stints at Triple-A Durham. He also was the hitter who broke up Carlos Carrasco’s no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth on July 1.
Butler becomes another option for the Indians in the outfield, along with Michael Brantley, Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall, Collin Cowgill and Jerry Sands. Butler still has an option remaining, so he provides additional insurance and could be sent down to Triple-A Columbus if he doesn’t win a job in the spring.
“Joey is a right-handed outfield and DH bat that provides some depth for us and will come in and compete for a spot on the team,” said Indians general manager Mike Chernoff. “He still has an option remaining, so he provides some versatility and depth for us.
“He had a good year up and down with Tampa last year, had a really good offensive year in the time he was in the major leagues, especially early on and is a guy who could fill one of our spots in the outfield.”
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Indians designated minor-league pitcher Jayson Aquino for assignment. Aquino was acquired by the Indians for cash considerations from the Pittsburgh Pirates at least season’s trade deadline.
New digs
The Indians on Monday announced a new scoreboard will be installed for the 2016 season as part of the second phase of renovations to Progressive Field.
The new scoreboard, manufactured and installed by Daktronics, will be 59 feet high and 221 feet wide. With high-definition video and a new sound system to be installed with it, the Indians are looking to upgrade the most visible part of the stadium. The old scoreboard had been in place since 2004.
Other scoreboards around the stadium will be updated as well in an effort to provide better access to statistics and scores from around the league.
“The new boards will significantly enhance our fans’ experience at Progressive Field,” said Neil Weiss, the Indians’ senior vice president of technology and chief information officer, in a statement. “This project increases our ability to deliver a world-class in-game experience, delivering stats, highlights and player profiles in large, high-definition formats.”
In addition to the scoreboard, the Indians are looking to add additional local restaurants into the Right Field District, which would join the five installed establishments from last year, including Melt, Barrio, Sweet Moses, Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Dynomite Burgers.
The team is also constructing a new club behind home plate, which will include a bar, customer service center and will be open after games to those with access. A secondary goal of this club is to improve the sightlines for all fans walking around the concourse.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ