Left-hander Gio Gonzalez has opted out of his minor league contract with the New York Yankees, who have 48 hours to release him or add him to the major league roster.
Gonzalez signed the deal with the Yankees in March that contained $3 million in base salary if he got added to the 40-man roster and a chance to get $9 million in performance bonuses by getting $300,000 per start. Saturday was the deadline for Gonzalez to opt out.
He is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts covering 15 innings at Triple-A. He has 19 strikeouts and six walks. Gonzalez was supposed to pitch Friday but the game was rained out.
The 33-year-old is one of only five pitchers who have made at least 25 starts in every season this decade, along with Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester and Rick Porcello, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He has made at least 27 starts in nine straight seasons.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.