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Following a frustrating campaign where he hit just .186 from the plate over 75 games, Detroit Tigers' outfielder Don Kelly is expected to be removed from the team's 40-man roster in the coming days, as reported by Tom Leyden of WXYZ-Detroit.
Forced out of manager Jim Leyland's outfield rotation due to poor play by mid-season, the 32-year-old lefty could only muster one home run over 113 total at-bats as a part-time player this year. Even though he totaled 15 homers and drove in 55 runs as a key performer from 2010-2011, Kelly's continued struggles from the plate ultimately made him an expendable commodity when stacked up against youngsters like Avisail Garcia and Quintin Berry.
Teams from around the league will be able to claim Kelly once he is removed from the 40-man roster, but general manager Dave Dombrowski still indicated that he hopes to sign Kelly to a minor league deal if possible. Despite hitting a meager .233 over 20 games with Triple-A Toledo this year after being demoted, Kelly would be a serious boost for the Mud Hens over a full season.