The Royals have issued a press release announcing that left-hander Danny Duffy has been re-instated from the 60-day disabled list, and fellow left-hander Francisley Bueno has been designated for assignment in order to clear a space on the 40-man roster. Duffy will be optioned to Triple-A Omaha for the time being.
Bueno, 32, has pitched to a respectable 3.40 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 45 innings of work at Omaha this season. He tallied 17 1/3 innings out of the Royals' bullpen in 2012 — his first big league action since 2008 with the Braves. Atlanta originally signed the Cuban product in 2006.
Duffy has spent the past year on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old had posted a 3.90 ERA with 28 strikeouts through 27 2/3 innings for the Royals last season before going down with a torn UCL. Command was an issue, as he also issued 18 walks in that time, but Duffy was long heraded as one of the Royals' better pitching prospects. Baseball America ranked him as the game's No. 68 prospect overall prior to the 2011 season.
