NEW YORK — The Yankees announced Thursday evening that they had unconditionally released outfielder Slade Heathcott, a first-round pick from 2009.
The move was made because the Yankees needed room on the 40-man roster when they called up left-hander Richard Bleier to replace the injured Chasen Shreve, who hit the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a joint sprain in his shoulder.
Heathcott, 25, was the 29th overall pick in '09 out of Texas High School (Texarkana, TX.) and given a $2.2 million signing bonus. The left-handed outfielder bounced around the minors and made his major league debut last year.