(TNS) —With MLB’s trade deadline on July 31 quickly approaching, the Pirates made their first of likely many moves Wednesday, dealing utility man Adam Frazier to the Kansas City Royals for minor league infielder Cam Devanney, the team announced

A 28-year-old who primarily plays shortstop, Devanney has yet to make his major league debut. He is batting .272 with 18 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .931 OPS in Triple-A this season, his fourth at that level. He is one shy of matching his career-best in home runs at the Triple-A level, which came last season.

Devanney was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

A native of Nashua, New Hampshire, who played college baseball at Elon, Devanney was selected by the Brewers in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB draft. He has played in 584 career minor league games, boasting a career slash line of .253/.341/.448 (.789 OPS).

Frazier, meanwhile, departs from Pittsburgh after hitting .255 with three home runs and a .654 OPS over 78 games. The 2025 season marked his second stint with the Pirates, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He rejoined his former club this offseason, signing a 1.525 million deal in January.

This will be Frazier’s second stint with the Royals, having played there last season. He played in 104 games with the Royals last year, slashing .202/.282/.294 primarily in bench role, in a season that featured the franchise’s first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015.

Analysis of the move

With starting shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa also likely on the move, Devanney serves as a potential replacement. This isn’t to say Devanney is the long-term answer at shortstop, but with few others on the 40-man roster who can regularly play the position, the newcomer will certainly get a look.

While on the surface Devanney’s resume might seem underwhelming, context matters. Frazier, a 33-year-old veteran utility man, didn’t possess much trade value. The Pirates acquired a lottery ticket in Devanney, who is having a career-best season at the plate.

Devanney measures at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and hits from the right side of the plate. He was an organizational All-Star with the Brewers, the team that drafted him, in 2022, the year he first reached Triple-A.