Padres Get Buchanan in Trade With Twins

The Minnesota Twins traded right fielder Brian Buchanan to the San Diego Padres on Friday and recalled outfielder Michael Cuddyer from triple-A Edmonton.

In exchange for Buchanan, the Padres gave up minor league shortstop Jason Bartlett, who will report to Minnesota’s affiliate in the Class-A Florida State League.

Buchanan was batting .252 with five doubles, one triple, five homers and 15 runs batted in in 135 at-bats and 44 games.

Buchanan was a player the Twins believed could become a power hitter when they put in the lineup every day, but he lost his job in mid-May because of the emergence of rookies Bobby Kielty and Dustan Mohr in right.

“There just weren’t enough at-bats for Buchanan,” General Manager Terry Ryan said. “Mohr and Kielty are getting the majority of the at-bats in right field ... “

Cuddyer, one of the organization’s top prospects since he was picked in the first round of the 1997 draft, joined the team Friday and will start in right field tonight against Texas.

Buchanan, 26, was acquired from the New York Yankees in 1998 along with Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman for Chuck Knoblauch.

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The Padres also welcomed back slugger Phil Nevin and made several other moves. Nevin, who had been on an injury rehabilitation assignment, was activated from the 15-day disabled list.

Nevin sat out 35 games because of a broken left arm. An All-Star in 2001, he hit .293 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 39 games. The Padres were 19-20 with Nevin in the lineup this season, 16-33 when was out.

The Padres also activated right-handed starter Bobby Jones from the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of right-handed reliever Tom Davey from Portland. Jones had been out with a strained right elbow.

Right-hander Kevin Jarvis, the opening day starter, went on the 60-day disabled list. Jarvis went 2-4 with a 4.37 earned-run average in seven starts before having surgery to repair his right-flexor tendon on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.

The Padres also traded infielder D’Angelo Jimenez to the Chicago White Sox for two minor leaguers: outfielder Alex Fernandez and catcher Humberto Quintero. Jimenez, 24, was hitting .240 with three homers and 33 RBIs with the Padres.