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With their 40-man roster full the Brewers signing of Neal Cotts necessitated a corresponding move to make room. It seems Elian Herrera drew the short straw as today the Brewers announced they had designated him for assignment. Herrera had no options remaining and since he has been DFA'd before, he can choose to elect free agency should be pass through waivers unclaimed.
The Brewers first acquired Elian Herrera near the end of the calender year in 2013. He split 2014 between AAA and MLB with the Brewers. While he only hit 274/288/341 he was useful for his versatility. During his stint with Milwaukee he spent time at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, and right field. And despite that one throw from right field, Herrera was actually a reasonably competent defender at each position.
However the versatility that made him such an asset in 2014 is no longer the necessity it once was. In 2014 the Brewers had 2 platoons. One at first base and the other at second base. In 2015 the Brewers will only have the platoon at first base. And even that will be mitigated by Jonathan Lucroy getting playing time.
The Brewers also now have much better depth at each position. For the outfield they currently have Gerardo Parra, Shane Peterson, Kyle Wren, and Logan Schafer. For the infield they currently have Hector Gomez, Luis Sardinas, Yadiel Rivera, Luis Jimenez, Jason Rogers, and Matt Clark. Shane Peterson is unique in that he can play center field as well as first base.
Even if Elian Herrera is no longer terribly useful to the Brewers, he is still a useful player. A team might take an interest and it's possible the Brewers could work a trade. But if that does happen, expect it to be for org filler or a super long shot prospect at best.
His usefulness is also the reason I personally believe he would choose to elect free agency instead of accept assignment to AAA Colorado Springs. He's a nice little player, but it won't impact the Brewers if he's a nice little player for a different club.
Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs