Lough optioned to Omaha; Nady, Sherrill released from minors deals

The Royals continued to trim the big-league roster Monday night.

One of the more interesting decisions was to option outfielder David Lough to triple-A Omaha.

Also, the Royals decided to release former big-league veterans Xavier Nady and George Sherrill.

Lough wrapped up his big league camp by hitting .455 with 20 hits in 44 at-bats. The 27-year-old outfielder notched six doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Lough was battling for the fourth outfield spot with speedster Jarrod Dyson. With the move, Dyson will retain the reserve outfielder spot, primarily due to his speed and knack for creating havoc on the base paths.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder

(7) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Royals website manager Ned Yost had nothing but praise for Lough, sighting Lough’s offensive adjustments and improvements. Yost’s reasoning behind the demotion was to ensure that Lough plays every day at triple-A, but also said that the minor leaguer was very close to being ready for big-league service.

Nady was signed to a minor league deal this offseason in hopes to create depth in the outfield. A nagging hamstring sidelined the 34-year-old vet this spring, but managed to appear in 13 games and bat .346 with six RBIs.

Sherrill, 35, was on a minor league contract and recovering from Tommy John Surgery. His most recent big-league stint was in Seattle, making two relief appearances before being shelved for surgery. He did not make any appearances with the Royals this spring.

The moves leave 33 players on the roster, but that does not include pitcher Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy. Both are still recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Update: The Royals re-signed both Nady and Sherrill to new minor league deals on Wednesday morning. Both of their original contracts had been subject to a roster retention payment of $100,000 if they were still under contract after 11 a.m. Tuesday under Article XXB of the CBA. Baseball America has more details here. The moves end up being creative accounting exercises. And yes, pretty much every team does the same thing, before the “Glass is cheap” thoughts jump up.