The Royals didn't come away from the non-waiver Trade Deadline empty-handed.

Outfielder Justin Maxwell, 29, was acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Minor League pitcher Kyle Smith on Wednesday afternoon.

Maxwell is expected to join the Royals for Thursday afternoon's game against Minnesota, and a corresponding move to make room on the 25-man roster will be announced then.

This season, Maxwell has played just 40 games, hitting .241 with two homers and eight RBIs, as he battled a number of afflictions. He missed nearly two months and 51 games with a broken bone in his left hand, hit by a pitch on April 24 by Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma. While rehabbing, Maxwell was bothered by stomach ailments and food poisoning. Within a week after returning to the Astros' lineup, he dove for a ball on June 25 against St. Louis and suffered a mild concussion.

A strong point for the right-handed-hitting Maxwell is that he has done well against left-handed pitching this year -- .302 (13-for-43), although his career mark against lefties is .253. Against right-handers, he's hit .203.