NEW ORLEANS, La. – Former New Orleans outfielder Joey Butler was called up by the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Butler was in Sacramento, Calif. with the Triple-A Round Rock Express when he received the news from the Rangers to pack his bags and join the club in Anaheim for their series against the Los Angeles Angels.
When Butler makes his first appearance at the plate or in the field with the Rangers this season, he will become the 13th former Privateer to play at the Major League level.
"I am really happy for Joey," UNO head coach Ron Maestri said. "He has done everything you can possibly do in Triple-A and he has now received the break he needed to get to the big leagues."
"Playing under Ron Washington is a great opportunity for Joey and a tribute to how hard he has worked to get into the big leagues."
This season, Butler is hitting .290 with 10 home runs, 54 runs scored and 44 RBI for the Express.
A 2012 and 2013 Triple-A All-Star selection, Butler has contested 347 games at the top level of minor league baseball since 2011. In that time, Butler has hit .301 with 42 home runs, 179 RBI and a .480 slugging percentage.
A product of Pascagoula, Miss., Butler was a 15th-round selection of the Rangers in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft after hitting .345 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI during the Privateers' 2008 run to the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection.
The outfielder added a team-leading 92 hits, six triples and tied for the team-lead with 21 doubles. Along with Johnny Giavotella, Butler was one of the six UNO players drafted in 2008 following back-to-back NCAA appearances by the university.