<
>

Yankees release 1B Chris Carter

The Yankees released Chris Carter on Tuesday, officially ending the struggling first baseman's stint in New York.

The Yankees designated Carter for assignment for the second time in a two-week span on July 4. He was first designated for assignment on June 23, but returned to the Yankees' roster a week later after Tyler Austin strained his hamstring.

Ji-Man Choi has served as New York's primary first baseman since Carter was dropped.

Carter, 30, batted just .201 while striking out 76 times in 184 at-bats (208 plate appearances) with the Yankees. The veteran slugger belted 41 home runs for Milwaukee in 2016 -- tied for the most in the National League -- but homered just eight times this season.

The strikeout-prone Carter failed to generate much interest as a free agent this past offseason despite his homer outburst with the Brewers in 2016. He reportedly was considering offers to play in Japan before signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Yankees.

The Yankees are responsible for paying the rest of Carter's salary; another team can sign him for a prorated share of the $535,000 major league minimum. He would have earned his first $100,000 performance bonus at 250 plate appearances.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.