KANSAS CITY -- With the Rays’ recent rotation surge and more help on the way in the form of Jeffrey Springs and Shane Baz, Tampa Bay felt comfortable kicking off the Trade Deadline.

The Rays acquired Gregory Barrios, an infield prospect with the Brewers, in exchange for pitcher Aaron Civale, the club announced Wednesday.

“Very hesitant to ever speak about pitching in a way to suggest a surplus, but felt like for the right reason, we could at least consider moving a starter,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “I think having someone like Shane, who is progressing … that we can put into the rotation, and continue to grow with the Major League reps, allows something like that to be possible.

“[Civale] was in demand and there was a player we had a chance to get that we really liked …”

TRADE DETAILS

Rays get: INF Gregory Barrios (Milwaukee's No. 21 prospect)

Brewers get: RHP Aaron Civale

The 20-year-old Barrios, who will report to High-A Bowling Green, has produced a strong season for Milwaukee’s High-A club so far. In 61 games at Wisconsin, he hit .325 with 17 doubles, two triples, one homer, 34 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Now ranked as the Rays' No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Barrios was named the Midwest League Player of the Week after hitting .722 with six doubles and eight RBIs the week of April 15-22.

The Rays recalled reliever Justin Sterner from Triple-A Durham to take Civale’s roster spot ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, but Baz, who is working back from Tommy John surgery, was scratched from his start Tuesday and could join the big league club as soon as Thursday.

Baz hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2022 but has made 10 starts in the Minors this season. He threw 93 pitches in his last outing with the Bulls and has just a 1.57 ERA across five Triple-A starts in June.

“I think there’s always two sides to everything, right? This is a business, and we have to treat it like a business. As sad as it is to lose such a good person in Civale, we’re gaining a really good one, too,” said starting pitcher Zach Eflin. “I think everybody in this clubhouse is excited for Baz to be here, and he’s a great person, great teammate and has a world of talent. He’s going to slide right in and join us, and do what he does. We’re all looking forward to seeing it.”

The 25-year-old righty could slot in as soon as Friday, which would have been Civale’s next expected start. Civale, acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline in a move with the Guardians for Kyle Manzardo, went 4-9 with a 5.17 ERA in 27 starts for Tampa Bay over the past two seasons.

“I talked to [Civale] last night after a long day, no doubt. I appreciate everything Aaron did for us, the competitor, the teammate, all those things, and certainly wish him well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Milwaukee obviously was a team in need [of] some starting pitching. They got what we consider a guy that can go over there and help him, and I think that we’re pretty pleased with the return we got back.”

Barrios, a native of Maracay, Venezuela, originally signed with Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent in 2021 and brings impressive tools to the Rays' organization. A strong defender with excellent range and speed, Barrios also handles the bat well. He makes contact often, as evidenced by a strikeout rate of around 10% and an on-base percentage of .367 this season.

The Rays (43-42) got off to a slow start but have won four straight series and entered Wednesday over .500 for the first time since May 20. Tampa Bay sits just three games back of Kansas City for the final Wild Card spot, but the club knows it's in a critical stretch ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline.

“Everyone in this clubhouse believes in the way we can play,” Eflin said. “ … We need to play better consistently, which we have been doing within the past week or two. But at the end of the day, it's a move like what happened last night and today, that shows anything can happen in this game, right? It's a business, but all we can do is play as hard as we can, and show up prepared each and every single day to go out and win the game.”