NEW YORK- The Yankees declined a club option on left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez and promoted catcher Donny Sands to the major league roster Sunday.
Rodriguez’s option was worth $3 million and included a $500,000 buyout, which he’ll receive along with the right to become a free agent. He was acquired from Texas along with Joey Gallo for minor leaguers Glenn Otto, Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver and Josh Smith in July and pitched well down the stretch.
Frequently lined up against opponents’ best left-handed hitters, Rodriguez was 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 21 games with the Yankees.
Sands split last season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting a combined .261 with 18 homers, 56 RBIs and a .792 OPS.