30-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B Chad Tracy has opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees thus becoming a free agent. Tracy played in 18 games in AAA-ball for the Yanks and he was 22 of 68 (.324 avg, 1.018 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 6 homers and 18 RBIs. I don’t blame Tracy for leaving to find another job as he wasn’t going to get called up any time soon.

The Yankees have recalled 27-year old righty reliever Jonathan Albaladejo to replace Andy Pettitte on the pitching staff as he was placed on the D.L. Albaladejo has been outstanding in the minors this year for the Yankees. He has pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 2-1 with 31 saves, a 0.96 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. He only gave up 25 hits while whiffing 61 batters in 46 2/3 innings in the minors. He has pitched in 39 games (0 starts) in two years with the Yankees and he is 5-2 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. With no set up man stepping up for the Yankees, they might give Albaladejo a chance to pitch late in games if he gets off to a good start.

29-year old lefty reliever Royce Ring is looking good in AAA for the Yankees this year. He has pitched in 33 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball so far this season and he is 2-0 with 1 save, a 1.52 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Ring has whiffed 26 batters while only allowing 23 hits in 29 2/3 innings this season which is pretty darn good. Ring has walked 9 guys this year as his control appears to be improving and that’s a good sign as his control has been a big negative issue in his past. Ring will be the next lefty reliever called up if the Yankees need one.

22-year old righty starting pitcher Zach McAllister came into this season as the Yankees’ #5 rated prospect according to Baseball America. McAllister has pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 6-5 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 89 games (77 starts) in his five years in the minors and he is 36-27 with 1 save, a 3.07 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. McAllister could be prime trade bait for the Yankees this summer.

The Yankees have released 32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jon Weber. Weber played in 47 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 42 of 163 (.258 avg, .658 OPS) with 18 runs scored and 11 RBIs. This is a shame as Weber was one of the last cuts this spring by the Yankees. He has yet to play in the majors despite playing 12 years now in the minors. Weber has played in 1,130 games in his minor league career and he is 1,191 of 4,137 (.288 avg, .831 OPS) with 701 runs scored, 131 homers, 651 RBIs and 107 stolen bases. I really hope that Weber gets another chance to get to the majors even if it’s for only one game.