ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Kansas City Royals acquired pitcher Paul Abbott from the Arizona

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The Kansas City Royals acquired pitcher Paul Abbott from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league left-hander Aric Leclair Friday.
Abbott was assigned to Triple-A Omaha, but Kansas City hopes to put him in its starting rotation in the near future. The right-hander has a 39-24 record in 132 career games, including 85 starts.
The Royals led the AL Central by a half-game going into Friday night's game at Tampa Bay. Kevin Appier, signed earlier in the week after being released by Anaheim, started against the Devil Rays.
Abbott was sidelined until early June after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in June 2002.
Abbott was 3-4 with 3.95 ERA in 11 games, including eight starts, at Triple-A Tucson. He was 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his last five games.
His best season came in 2001 when he went 17-4 with a 4.25 ERA for Seattle.
Leclair is 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA over 31 games for Class A Wilmington.