The Royals officially re-signed veteran left-hander Bruce Chen today and they designated infielder Emilio Bonifacio for assignment in order to make room for him on the 40-man roster.
The move is somewhat curious, as the Royals and Bonifacio avoided arbitration two weeks ago by agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. However, contracts via arbitration are not fully-guaranteed. At the very least, this move means that the Royals have reached their spending limit this winter.
Bonifacio hit just .243/.295/.331 over 461 plate appearances last season, but he has speed and experience at multiple positions, so he’ll surely find a home somewhere as a bench player. The Royals might be able to find a trade partner in the coming days.
