The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics traded outfielders on Saturday afternoon, with the Royals acquiring veteran Billy Burns in exchange for rookie Brett Eibner.
The 26-year-old Burns had played in the major leagues with Oakland over the past three seasons, hitting .234 this season with 11 doubles, 4 triples, and 14 stolen bases in 74 games. Â The 14 stolen bases are the eighth-highest total in the American League. Â Burns was optioned to Class AAA Nashville on July 15th, the result of a disappointing season that followed a 2015 campaign that saw Burns finish fifth in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Â He debuted with Oakland in 2014 after being acquired from Washington.
Burns will be assigned to the Royals Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, while Eibner, who was recently demoted by Kansas City, will head to Nashville to play with the Sounds.
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