Report: Los Angeles Angels acquire Shane Victorino from the Boston Red Sox

It’s official. The Boston Red Sox have given up on the 2015 season and appear to be sellers heading into Friday’s non-waiver trade deadline.

Fox Sports MLB insisder Jon Morosi is reporting that Boston has sent outfielder Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for infielder Josh Rutledge.

Victorino, 34, has appeared in just 33 games this season. He’s hitting .245 with a lone homer and four RBI’s on the year. That’s a far cry from the production we saw from the Flyin’ Hawaiian during his prime as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies late last decade.

Considering Victorino has played in a total of 63 games since the start of last year, he’s going to act like nothing more than insurance for the first-place Angels. All 26 of his starts this year have come in right field.

It’s unknown how much of Victorino’s contract Boston is picking up here, but it has to be substantial. He’s on the final season of a three-year contract that pays him $13 million annually.

As it relates to Boston’s return on the deal, Rutledge’s ceiling is as nothing more than a decent bench option. After hitting .259 with 19 homers in parts of three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, the 26-year-old infielder has spent this entire season in the Angels farm system. He’s hitting .274 with five homers in 78 games for Triple-A Salt Lake this year.

Photo: USA Today Sports