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The Giants outrighted first baseman Angel Villalona to the minors on Monday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for relief pitcher Sergio Romo, who signed his two-year contract Monday morning.
[RELATED: Giants sign Romo to two-year deal]
Villalona, 24, hit .230 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI over 107 games last year split between the rookie- and Double-A level.
He played 90 games at first base and 12 as designated hitter.
The Dominican Republic native has a unique history. In 2006, the Giants gave a 21-year-old Villalona what was a club-record $2.1 signing bonus.
But Villalona was out of baseball for the 2010 and 2011 seasons after he emerged as a murder suspect in the 2009 death of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete in the Dominican Republic. After settling with the victim's family out of court, and subsequently filing suit against the Giants, Villalona was reinstated into San Francisco's farm system for summer league in June 2012.
A player can only be outrighted to the minors once in his career without his consent. When outrighted, the player is removed from the 40-man roster but is still paid under the terms on his contract.
