(610 Sports) – The Royals have acquired outfielder Brent Rooker from the San Diego Padres for catcher Cam Gallagher, according to Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Rooker, 27, is a right-handed hitting outfielder who has appeared in just two games with the Padres this year, but hit .201/.291/.397 with 9 home runs in 58 games with the Twins last year.
Originally a first-round pick in 2017 by the Twins out of Mississippi State, he put up good power numbers in the minors but has struck out in 32.7 percent of his MLB plate appearances.
Gallagher has spent parts of the last six seasons with the Royals as a backup catcher. The former second-round pick has hit .240/.302/.355 in 171 career MLB games, but has been reknowned for his defense and framing ability. He was eligible for arbitration for the first time this year, and was expendable with the promotion of MJ Melendez to the big leagues and the return of Salvador Perez from injury.
