The Royals created an additional space on their 40-man roster Monday afternoon by sending right-handed pitcher John Bannister to Class AAA Omaha on an outright assignment after he cleared waivers.</p><p> Bannister, 25, chose to stay with the organization by agreeing to a minor-league contract. He was 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA in eight relief appearances at Class AA Northwest Arkansas following his Aug. 11 arrival from Texas in a waiver claim.</p><p> The outright assignment offered Bannister the chance to become a free agent because of previous minor-league service. He is 26-33 with a 4.75 ERA in 154 games over six professional seasons spent entirely in the Texas system prior to his eight games at Northwest Arkansas.</p><p> The Royals now have three openings on their 40-man roster, which means Monday’s move effectively cleared space for the anticipated Nov. 20 return of outfielder José Guillen, shortstop Mike Aviles and reliever Doug Waechter from the 60-day disabled list. </p><p><b>Elias rankings</b></p><p> Catcher Miguel Olivo is the only one of the Royals’ four free agents who merits compensation under the new Elias rankings, released Monday, if he signs elsewhere.</p><p> The catch: The Royals must offer arbitration to Olivo prior to Dec. 1 unless he signs with another team before that deadline. Such an offer is unlikely since the club just paid $100,000 to void a $3.3 million mutual option for 2010. </p><p> The good news: There is no reason for other teams to wait in pursuing Olivo because he is a Type B free agent, which don’t require a new team to surrender a draft pick. Teams that sign a Type A free agent lose a first- or second-round pick.</p><p> Type A players are ranked among the top 20 percent at their position; Type B players are ranked between 21 and 40 percent. Teams that lose a Type B player gain a supplemental draft pick between the first and second rounds.</p><p> Clubs do not receive compensation for the loss of players ranked below outside of the top 40 percent at their position. The Royals’ three other free agents -- outfielder Coco Crisp and relievers Jamey Wright and Bruce Chen -- all fell below 40 percent.</p><p><b>Crisp files</b></p><p> Crisp was one of 31 players who filed Monday for free agency. He became eligible to file Friday when the Royals voided an $8 million option for next season by exercising a $500,000 buyout.</p><p> Crisp is the last of four eligible Royals to file to free agency. The Royals retain exclusive negotiating rights with all four players through Nov. 19.</p><p>To reach Bob Dutton, send e-mail to <a href="mailto:bdutton@kcstar.com">bdutton@kcstar.com</a>. Follow his updates at twitter.com/Royals_Report.