Royals Claim Maikel Cleto; Outright Quintin Berry

TUESDAY: The Royals announced, via press release, that Berry has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha.

SUNDAY: The Royals have announced they have claimed right-hander Maikel Cleto off waivers from the Cardinals. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Royals have designated Quintin Berry for assignment.

Cleto, who will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha, has appeared in one game for the Cardinals this year (June 5) going 2 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks allowing five runs and five hits with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old has spent portions of the last three seasons at Triple-A posting a 5.40 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 6.0 BB/9 in 178 1/3 innings covering 74 games (22 starts). This year, Cleto has recorded marks of 6.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and 8.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings over 16 games (9 starts).

Berry was claimed by the Royals nearly three weeks ago after the Tigers had designated him for assignment. The 28-year-old outfielder was a fifth-round pick by the Phillies in the 2006 draft, a round which has produced several major leaguers including Jeff Samardzija and Chris Davis. Berry bounced around several organizations before making his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2012 posting a .258/.330/.354 line in 330 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. Berry, however, hasn't been able to replicate that success this year struggling in Triple-A to the tune of .172/.276/.242 in 233 plate appearances, including a .194/.264/.290 slash in his nine games (34 plate appearances) with Omaha.