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The Royals finally made the Ian Kennedy signing official today, and to make room on the 40-man roster they designated right-handed reliever Louis Coleman for assignment, according to Jeffrey Flanagan. Coleman pitched just three innings for the Royals in 2015, without allowing a run. He spent much of the year in AAA Omaha, where he had a 1.69 ERA in 68 innings.
The 29-year old was originally a 5th round pick by the Royals in 2009 out of LSU. In 177 1/3 career Major League innings he has a very respectable 3.20 ERA. Coleman has been slightly tougher on righties in his career, allowing a line of .216/.304/.393, compared to .238/.327/.413 against lefties, according to Baseball Reference. Coleman was eligible for arbitration this season and is set to earn $725,000 this season. He was designated for assignment by the Royals at the end of spring training last season, but cleared waivers and accepted assignment to Omaha.
The Royals have ten days to either release or trade Coleman, or seven days to place him on waivers, which gives every team a chance to claim him. If a team claims him, they are obligated to pay his entire salary.