The Kansas City Royals have acquired IF/OF Emilio Bonifacio from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, according to an announcement from the team. Bonifacio is the second infielder to join the Royals via trade this week, joining Jamey Carroll, who was acquired from the Twins on Sunday.
2013 MLB August Waiver Tracker
Bookmark this page as your source for the latest on waiver-wire movement in the majors this August.Bonifacio, 28, was acquired last offseason in the megadeal that sent Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes to Toronto in exchange for a handful of top prospects. In 94 games with the Jays on the year, he has hit .218 with 3 HR and 20 RBI while stealing 12 bases and playing five different positions.
Bonifacio will likely see most of his time at second base for Kansas City, manning a position that has atrocious for the team all season. Due to the offensive struggles of Chris Getz, Johnny Giavotella and Elliot Johnson all year, the Royals have been forced to be aggressive on the waiver-wire in search of second base help.
In seven major league seasons with the Diamondbacks (2007-2008), Nationals (2008), Marlins (2009-2012) and Blue Jays (2013), Bonifacio has hit .261 with 10 HR and 120 RBI. He averages 35 steals per 162-game season, and his versatility will be valuable to the Royals in the last month and a half of the season.
Bonifacio is under team control through next season, and joins his brother Jorge in the Royals' organization. Jorge, a 20-year old outfielder, is currently at Double-A Northern Arkansas.
