Kansas City Royals outfielder Jason Bourgeois has opted for free agency rather than accept his outright assignment to the club's Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, the team has announced:

OF Jason Bourgeois, who was designated for assignment on 11/2, was assigned outright to Omaha. He elected free agency in lieu of assignment.

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 12, 2012

Acquired in a trade with the Astros just before the start of the season, the 30-year-old Bourgeois spent most of 2012 in the Royals' minor-league system, hitting .243/.314/.324 with three home runs in sixty games at Triple-A. Bourgeois did get three short stints in Kansas City this year, hitting .258/.303/.323 in thirty games.

The journeyman outfielder has never played more than a part-time role for any big league club, getting a majority of his major league playing time with the Astros during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, where he hit .269/.313/.327 with a lone home run in one hundred sixty-two games.