The Royals designate reliever Seth Maness for assignment to clear space for Luke Farrell

The Royals designated reliever Seth Maness for assignment on Saturday morning, a move to clear space on the 40-man roster for right-handed pitcher Luke Farrell, who was set to make his major-league debut against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a doubleheader.

Maness, 28, was pitching at Class AAA Omaha after spending time in the Royals’ bullpen earlier this season. He allowed four runs, including three homers in 9 2/3 innings before being optioned back to the minors in early June.

Farrell joined the Royals under the “26th man” rule for doubleheaders. But the club still had to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster.

In his last two outings for Omaha, Maness allowed 10 runs in 4  2/3 innings as his ERA spiked to 9.77 for the season. The Royals have five days to either trade Maness or put him through waivers. In that case, another team could claim in.

The Royals signed Maness to a minor-league deal during spring training and eventually added him to the 40-man roster in May. When he made his Royals debut on May 13, he became the first pitcher in baseball history to return to the majors after undergoing a cutting-edge elbow reconstruction procedure called “Primary Repair” — a possible replacement for Tommy John surgery.

He previously spent four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen before sustaining an elbow injury last season. In his career, he has posted a 3.21 ERA in 247 innings.

This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 1:23 PM with the headline "The Royals designate reliever Seth Maness for assignment to clear space for Luke Farrell."