D-backs deal Roberts to Rays for minor leaguer

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded utility man and fan
favorite Ryan Roberts to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange
for minor league infielder Tyler Bortnick.

Roberts, who batted .252 with six home runs and 33 runs
batted in for the Diamondbacks this season, had been
designated for assignment earlier in the day by the club.

The 31-year-old Roberts was a main cog in the
Diamondbacks’ run to the National League West crown in
2011, when he hit a career-high 19 home runs, while
driving in 65 and hitting .249.

“Sometimes I thought it would (happen), sometimes I
thought it wouldn’t, but it’s part of the game so it is
what it is,” Roberts said Tuesday.

With Tampa Bay, Roberts will join the mix of players
trying to hold down the position in Evan Longoria’s
absence. The three-time All-Star hasn’t played since
April 30 when he injured his hamstring in a win over the
Seattle Mariners.

Leaving Arizona is difficult for Roberts, who saw his
career blossom with the Diamondbacks after previous big
league stops in Texas and Toronto.

“I’ll definitely miss my teammates, I’ll definitely miss
the fans that supported me when things were good and when
things were bad,” he said.

In the trade, the Diamondbacks get Bortnick, a minor
league infielder who batted .253 with four home runs
and 48 RBI in 95 games with Double-A Montgomery this
season.

“It’s funny, he is very similar to Ryan Roberts,”
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said Tuesday night. “Just a
younger version of Ryan Roberts, small and compact.”

Bortnick has also had success as a base stealer. After
stealing 43 bases in A-Ball last year, the 25-year-old
Ohio native swiped 23 in 26 attempts this year.

“I wouldn’t say he is a burner, but if you look at his
success rate throughout his minor league career he has a
great great success rate at stealing bases,” Towers said,
lauding Bortnick’s base-running ability.

Bortnick was drafted in the 16th round of the 2009 First-
Year Player Draft, and is a career .289 hitter with 131
stolen bases in 417 minor league games.

Bortnick primarily plays second, but Diamondbacks scouts
believe he has the potential to move around and play
shortstop or third base.

He will be assigned to Triple-A Reno.

Arizona Sports’ Clayton Klapper contributed to this
report

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