SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Canaries have made their first trade of the 2020 season, and they’ve landed an exciting addition to their already-loaded lineup.

The Birds have acquired catcher Roy Morales from the Winnipeg Goldeyes for future considerations, the club announced Monday.

The move provides reinforcements to the Canaries lineup. Third baseman Damek Tomscha and designated hitter Jabari Henry are both day-to-day with injuries, leaving the Birds with nine position players on their roster for Sunday’s game.

Morales, 25, owns an impressive .333/.435/.404 slash line with the Goldeyes in 19 games this season. He falls seven plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title; if he did his average would rank tied for fourth in the league.

2020 is Morales’ second year in the American Association; he spent last season with the Kansas City T-Bones. The Puerto Rico native hit .310/.378/.407 with the T-Bones, hitting three home runs with 25 RBIs in 60 games.

Morales spent five years in the Miami Marlins system before heading to independent ball. A 12th-round draft selection out of Colegio Angel David HS, Morales made it as high as High-A Jupiter in 2017 and 2018.

Morales is a disciplined hitter, owning a career strikeout rate of just 10.8%. He’s also thrown out 30% of potential base stealers in his professional career.

Morales will join the Canaries for their road game against Milwaukee on Tuesday night. Birds fans can find links to watch and listen to the game at sfcanaries.com.

By Adam Bertsch