The Royals continued to tweak their 40-man roster Tuesday by sending pitchers Lenny DiNardo and Yasuhiko Yabuta to Class AAA Omaha on outright assignments after they cleared waivers.</p><p> Each player has the option of refusing the assignment and becoming a free agent. The moves came one day after the Royals sent pitcher John Bannister to Omaha on an outright assignment before signing him to a minor-league contract.</p><p> DiNardo, 30, was 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in five starts after arriving Sept. 8 from Omaha, where he was 10-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 29 games and chosen as a Pacific Coast League All-Star.</p><p> Yabuta, 36, was 2-1 with a 13.50 ERA in 12 relief appearances for the Royals after spending most of the season at Omaha. The Royals recently exercised a $500,000 buyout in his contract to void a 2010 option for $4 million.</p><p> The Royals now have four openings on their 40-man roster but also have three players — outfielder José Guillen, shortstop Mike Aviles and reliever Doug Waechter — who must be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list by Nov. 20.</p><p> More moves are likely as the Royals ponder what minor-league players to protect from the Rule 5 draft. Possibilities include infielder Jeff Bianchi, outfielders Jordan Parraz and Jarrod Dyson and pitchers Juan Abreu, Blake Wood and Eduardo Paulino.</p><p> Players with four or five years of professional service, depending on circumstances, are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft if not placed on a club’s 40-man roster by Nov. 20. The draft takes place Dec. 10 at the winter meetings in Indianapolis.</p><p><b>No Gold for DeJesus</b></p><p> An errorless season and a career-high 13 assists proved insufficient for Royals veteran David DeJesus in his quest to become just the second American League left fielder in 28 years to win a Gold Glove for defensive excellence.</p><p> The 2009 AL selections, released Tuesday by Rawlings, cited Los Angeles center fielder Torii Hunter, Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki and Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones as the outfield recipients.</p><p> Hunter and Suzuki are nine-time winners in balloting by the league’s managers and coaches. Jones is a first-time recipient. Outfield selections are made without regard to specific position.</p><p> The rest of the AL team: Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer (second award), New York first baseman Mark Teixeira (third), Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco (second), New York shortstop Derek Jeter (fourth), Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria (first) and Chicago pitcher Mark Buehrle (first).</p><p> The National League winners will be announced Wednesday. <b>Up to 18th in spending</b></p><p> Figures just released by the Commissioner’s Office show the Royals spent more than $81.7 million last year in total compensation on their major-league payroll. That ranked third among AL Central teams and 18th overall among 30 teams.</p><p> The New York Yankees led all teams at $220.1 million en route to winning their 27th World Series title. The New York Mets were second at $141.9 million, followed by the Chicago Cubs at $141.4 and Boston Red Sox at $140.4.</p><p> The Detroit Tigers were fifth overall and first among AL Central teams at $139.2 million. Other AL Central teams: Chicago White Sox, 10th overall at $105.3 million; Cleveland Indians, 21st overall at $77.0 million; and Minnesota Twins, 23rd overall at $72.8 million. </p><p><b>Crow clocked</b></p><p> Right-hander Aaron Crow, the 12th overall pick in last June’s draft, is now 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA through three starts for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.</p><p> Crow, who turns 23 on Wednesday, allowed four runs and seven hits in four innings Monday in a 5-2 loss to the Peoria Saguaros. Opponents are batting .348 against him with 16 hits in 11 1/3 innings.