To clear room on the 40-man roster for left-hander Neal Cotts, the Milwaukee Brewers designated utility man Elian Herrera for assignment Friday.
Herrera hit .274 with five RBI in 140 plate appearances over 69 games with the Brewers in 2014. He was recalled from Triple-A Nashville four times during the first half of the season but stuck in the big leagues from July 12 on.
The versatile 29-year-old started at six different positions for the Brewers, seeing time at all three outfield spots, second base, shortstop and third base.
After spending eight years of his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Herrera was claimed off waivers by Milwaukee in November 2013.
Herrera is a career .261 hitter with one home run and 22 RBI in 140 big-league games.
Herrera's chances at making the 2015 roster were significantly damaged by the acquisition of Luis Sardinas in the Yovani Gallardo trade. The 21-year-old can cover second base, shortstop and third base if he makes the Opening Day roster.
With 10 position player spots spoken for entering spring training, Sardinas, Hector Gomez, Luis Jimenez, Matt Clark, Jason Rogers, Shane Peterson and Logan Schafer are among the players competing for three bench jobs.
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