Power-hitting infielder Sean Rodriguez heads to Tampa Bay Rays to complete trade of Scott Kazmir to Los Angeles Angels

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays coveted 2B Sean Rodriguez for a while, liking his versatility defensively and his power at the plate, which the Miami native has shown both at Triple A and in the big leagues with the Angels.

So when it became official Tuesday that Rodriguez, 24, was the third player in the Scott Kazmir trade, the Rays talked excitedly about his potential impact.

Rodriguez will initially report to Triple-A Durham, but manager Joe Maddon said he'll be included in the next wave of call-ups, likely in the next week.

The deal became official when the waiver period expired Tuesday afternoon, and the Rays were awarded the claim. (Had a team ahead of the Rays in the waiver process claimed him, the Angels would have had to pull him back, and the deal wouldn't have been completed until the offseason.) To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated RH reliever Joe Nelson for assignment.

Rodriguez, a right-handed hitter, batted .299 with 29 homers and 93 RBIs in 103 games for Triple-A Salt Lake and has played 71 games in the big leagues. While Rodriguez's best position is second base, he could play third, shortstop and all three outfield positions, making him a potential candidate to replace Ben Zobrist as the utilityman next season if Zobrist takes over second-base duties full time.

Maddon knew of Rodriguez from his time in Anaheim and said he throws and runs well, likening him to former longtime utilityman Randy Velarde.

"He's very exciting," Maddon said. "He's the kind of guy that if you can just augur out one spot and give him a bunch of at-bats, I think what he's done in the minor leagues, he'll be something very similar in the major leagues, offensively."

Rodriguez thought he might be the player to be named when he wasn't among one of the Angels' callups after Monday's game: "My roommate (Freddy Sandoval) said he bet it was me, and it was."

Rodriguez, who spent seven years in the Angels organization, said it was a bittersweet moment.

"I think everyone wants to stay with the team that drafted you, but it's not always possible," he said. "But I'll tell you this, I couldn't be going to a better team than Tampa Bay. With what they did last year, and they're making a playoff run again this year, I'm super, super excited."

PARTING WAYS: Executive VP Andrew Friedman said once the Rays decided to not call up Nelson, the move to designate him was made in part so he'd have a chance to end up with another big-league team. Nelson, signed to a $1.3 million contract, was 0-3, 4.02 in 42 games before being optioned to Durham Aug. 1. If he clears waivers, he is likely to stay in the organization.

sonny time: RHP Andy Sonnanstine was excited to be called up from Triple-A Durham to start such a critical game. Though he got tagged for five runs (three earned) in four innings, Sonnanstine felt he got back to his strengths, including using different arm angles. Though Maddon said he thought Sonnanstine did fine, the result was tough to take. "I wanted to come up here and do really well," Sonnanstine said. "Obviously, that wasn't the case."

near miss: In the fifth, the Rays missed out on a potential triple play. With runners on first and second, 3B Evan Longoria knocked down a liner and stepped on third, but his throw to first bounced by Carlos Peña, who could have caught J.D. Drew in a rundown between first and second.

MISCELLANY: The Rays are expected to call up top prospect RHP Wade Davis as they set their pitching plans around Monday's doubleheader in New York. … Principal owner Stuart Sternberg was in attendance. … It was the 200th regular-season meeting between the Rays and Red Sox. … Tuesday's attendance of 17,692 was the smallest crowd for a Rays-Red Sox game at Tropicana Field since Aug. 21, 2007, when they drew 16,393.

Times staff writer Marc Topkin contributed to this report. Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com