Professional baseball player Joey Wendle, an Avon Grove High School and West Chester University graduate, has been traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.

Wendle, a 27-year-old infielder, spent parts of the last two seasons in Major League Baseball with the A’s. In 36 games in the majors, he has batted .266 (29-for-109) with two doubles, two home runs, and 16 RBI.

The highlight of Wendle’s career, coincidentally, occurred in Philadelphia, against the team he grew up rooting for. He drilled a sixth-inning grand slam against the Phillies last September to lift the A’s to a 6-3 interleague victory.

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“Joey earned the respect of everyone when he was playing at West Chester,” said WCU baseball coach Jad Prachniak. “He played extremely hard. He treated people well and was the ultimate teammate.”

Wendle was originally drafted in 2012 by the Cleveland Indians in the sixth round.

“When Joey got drafted, I knew he would do everything in his power to maximize his chances of getting the opportunity to play at the Major League level,” said Prachniak. “I am so happy that he is getting the opportunity to live out that dream.”