ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays announced after Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners that they had traded infielder Brad Miller and cash considerations to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for first baseman and outfielder Ji-man Choi.
Miller, who had been designated for assignment on Thursday by the Rays, was hitting .256/.322/.429 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 48 games this season. The 28-year-old hit 30 home runs with Tampa Bay in 2016, but hit just .201 with nine homers last season and underwent significant core muscle surgery in the offseason. He signed a one-year $4.5 million contract in the offseason, and has one more year of arbitration before becoming a free agent.
Choi, 27, has hit .233/.281/.500 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in just 32 plate appearances at the big league level this year. He hit a pinch-hit grand slam in his last game with the Brewers Saturday in a 12-3 win over the Phillies.
At Triple-A Colorado Springs, Choi was hitting .302/.436/.488 with nine doubles, five homers, and 23 RBI.
Choi has been added to the Rays 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Durham.
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