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LOS ANGELES -- Utility man Elian Herrera was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, leaving the Dodgers with 32 players on their 40-man roster.
Herrera, who turns 29 in February, hit .282/.367/.370 with seven home runs and 13 doubles in 108 games with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2013, and stole 16 bases in 19 attempts. In two major league stints with the Dodgers, the switch-hitting Herrera was 2-for-8 in four games.
The days for Herrera on the Dodgers' 40-man roster appeared limited anyway, as he wasn't called up to the team in September, and his numbers were down from 2012, when he hit .341/.381/.520 in Triple-A.
Herrera was a feel-good story for the 2012 Dodgers, hitting .251/.340/.332 in 67 games while playing just about everywhere on the field. He started 14 games at third base, nine games at second base, nine games in center field, nine games in left field, three games in right field, and even played two games and three innings at shortstop.
Herrera had game-winning hits in back-to-back games in Philadelphia in June 2012, and added a walk-off single to beat the Giants last Oct. 1.
For someone who spent nine years in the minor leagues before making his major league debut, his story was inspirational.
"The best thing I learned was that nothing was impossible. It was a surprise for me when I got called up, and everyone was happy because I was 10 years in the minor leagues," Herrera said last year. "What I can say to everybody is you never know what can happen. If you want something you have to fight for it, and just try to get it. I learned to never give up, and to just keep going."
Herrera has 108 days of major league service time and has one option year remaining. He was signed by the Dodgers in May 2003, which brings up this important note from Andrew Grant:
With the loss of Elian Herrera Matt Kemp becomes the new longest tenured Dodger.
— Al-Rod Qaeda (@realandrewgrant) November 4, 2013
Well, tied with fellow 2003 draftees Chad Billingsley and A.J. Ellis, I suppose.