From Ken Rosenthal:Yankees Class AAA right-hander Russ Ortiz has exercised his right to become a free agent, according to his agent, John Boggs.Ortiz, 35, had the right to become a free agent if the Yankees did not promote him to the majors after three starts.He made his third start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, allowing three runs in four innings after pitching 13 scoreless innings in his previous two starts.Ortiz was 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA for SWB after going 3-6 with a 5.57 ERA for the Astros, who released him on July 30.The Yankees, unable to currently offer Ortiz a spot on their major-league roster, asked him to remain in their organization. But Ortiz wants to be part of a contender and return to the postseason, Boggs said.Nice knowing ya, Russ.
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