DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers acquired veteran infielder Zach McKinstry in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
The Tigers sent minor league right-hander Carlos Guzman to the Cubs for McKinstry, a .208 hitter with 12 homers and 43 RBIs in parts of three big league seasons.
The 24-year-old Guzman went 9-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 27 games last year, finishing the season with two appearances for Double-A Erie.
McKinstry, who turns 28 on April 29, broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. He was traded to the Cubs for reliever Chris Martin in July.
McKinstry batted .199 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 57 games with the Dodgers and Cubs last year.
Chicago also announced that it had optioned infielder Christopher Morel to Triple-A Iowa. Reliever Rowan Wick cleared waivers and was outrighted to Iowa.
The McKinstry trade and the move with Morel likely means infielder Miles Mastrobuoni will be on the team’s opening-day roster. The 27-year-old Mastrobuoni made his big league debut last year, batting .188 (3 for 16) in eight games with Tampa Bay late in the season.
