Report: Yankees release OF prospect Slade Heathcott

According to their official transaction page, the Yankees have released OF prospect Slade Heathcott. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for recent call-up Richard Bleier. Chad Jennings of LoHud Yankees Blog reported that a team source said Heathcott will not be re-signed, and that he'll be let go for good. Heathcott, 25, was selected in the first round (29th overall) in the 2009 MLB draft. He struggled with substance abuse problems early on as a Yankee, and has been injury prone for a number of years. He made his MLB debut last season on May 20, and appeared in 17 games hitting .400 (10-for-25) with two homers and eight RBI. Heathcott will be remembered for that clutch three-run home run in the ninth inning against then Rays closer Brad Boxberger on Sept. 14, 2015. The homer gave the Yankees a 4-1 victory, and kept them in the hunt for the division lead. Your browser does not support iframes. We at BP certainly wish Slade the best of luck going forward.

Roster Move: To make room on the 40-man roster for Bleier earlier today, the @Yankees have unconditionally released OF Slade Heathcott

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 27, 2016