The Kansas City Royals today acquired infielder Yamaico Navarro and minor league right-handed pitcher Kendal Volz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infielder Mike Aviles.

Navarro, 23, opened the season with Pawtucket (AAA) and was promoted to the big league club on June 30, hitting .216 (8-for-37) in 16 games.  The Royals got a first hand look at Navarro this week when he participated in all four games during KC’s just completed trip to Fenway Park, going 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, walk, two runs scored and RBI.  The native of San Pedro de Macoris, DR, who will report to the Royals in Cleveland, hit .258 (33-for-128) in 34 games for Pawtucket with a .362 on-base pct.  He was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Red Sox in 2005.

Volz, 23, has worked exclusively in relief for Salem (A) this season, going 2-3 with two saves and a 3.33 ERA in 31 appearances.  He has struck out 56 batters in 51.1 innings and held the opposition to a composite .222 batting average, and has been assigned to Wilmington (A). The Bulverde, TX, native was Boston’s ninth-round choice in the 2009 draft out of Baylor University.  His professional career began last year with Greenville in the South Atlantic League, working mainly as a starter, appearing in 26 games (24 starts), going 6-5 with a 3.71 ERA, fanning 94 in 116.1 innings.  He played for Team USA in 2008.

Aviles hit .222 in 53 games for the Royals this year with five home runs and 31 RBI.  He had two stints with the big league club, also spending a little over a month at Omaha (AAA).  The 30-year old infielder was Kansas City’s seventh-round pick in the 2003 draft and made his first appearance in the majors in 2008, hitting .325 in 102 games.  He missed virtually all of the 2009 campaign and a portion of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery on May 24, 2009.

— Royals Media Relations —