The Yankees have designated 28-year old righty reliever Kevin Whelan for assignment. Whelan pitched in 2 games (0 starts) in his first taste of the majors last year for the Yankees and he was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. He also pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 2-3 with 23 saves, a 2.75 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. The Yankees needed Whelan’s roster spot for Hiroki Kuroda.

UPDATE: (2/1/2012) - Kevin Whelan has cleared waivers and he has accepted an outright minor league assignment from the Yankees. He will try to win a job in the pen this spring.