NEW YORK -- Shane Spencer's career with the Cleveland Indians came to a quick end after a half-season when he was dealt with right-hander Ricardo Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Ryan Ludwick on Friday night.

Ludwick, 25, was recalled from the minors July 3 and has hit .154 (4-for-26) in eight games. He hit .303 this season for Triple-A Oklahoma with 17 homers and 63 RBI in 81 games.

"John Hart and I, obviously, talk on a fairly regular basis," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said of the Texas GM, his former boss in Cleveland. "He had a surplus of young corner position players, and we felt like our position of strength is young starting pitching."

Last year, Ludwick batted .235 for Texas with one homer and nine RBI before he fractured a hip on Aug. 22, an injury that ended his season. He said he was "excited" about the deal.

"A little panic-stricken because I know I've got a lot of stuff I've got to do," Ludwick said. "Just a lot of stuff going through my mind right now. I feel like it's going to be a good opportunity from what I've heard. I'm just looking forward to going over there and picking up from where I left off over here."

Texas acquired Ludwick from Oakland in January 2002 as part of a six-player trade in which Carlos Pena went to the Athletics.

"We've got an athletic guy who comes to play every day and has right-handed pop," Shapiro said. "Right-handed power is one of the hardest commodities to find. He can hit 25 to 35 homers. He's a gamer, plays hard every day, is a good outfielder with a good arm, too."

For now, it appears Ludwick will get a chance to play regularly.

"He's a guy we're going to plug right in," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.

Spencer, a 31-year-old outfielder, signed with the Indians during the offseason after the New York Yankees made no effort to keep him and he became a free agent.

Cleveland held Spencer out of Friday night's game against the Yankees, and he wasn't in the clubhouse after the game. He hit .271 for the Indians with eight homers and 26 RBI in 210 at-bats, including a home run Thursday night in his return to Yankee Stadium.

"He hits left-handed pitching very well," Hart said. "I think he gives us some presence in the clubhouse. He's a guy that's been in big games, and it doesn't hurt to add a player like that into the mix."

Rodriguez, 25, is on the disabled list with a strained right hip and groin. He got hurt while chasing a grounder in a loss to Kansas City on June 26, then reaggravated the injury July 6 while pitching for Triple-A Buffalo. The Indians rescinded his optional assignment to the Triple-A team and placed him on the DL retroactive to July 2.

"Obviously, the big component for us was Rodriguez," Hart said. "We've done all our medical homework and, whether this guy returns in two weeks or in two months, this is a hip injury that certainly can be fixed, and obviously this is a deal for our future."

Rodriguez is 3-9 with a 5.73 ERA in 15 starts, but has faded, getting just one win in his last 12 starts.

Shapiro and Hart had been discussing the deal for two to three weeks. "John had alternatives and pushed me to make an offer," Shapiro said. "We're always reluctant to trade starting pitching."