SAN DIEGO -- Nick Swisher opted out of his Minor League contract with the Yankees on Saturday, announcing on his Facebook page that he will sit out the remainder of the season to spend time with his family. He has not ruled out playing next year.
"After the birth of my second child, I've decided to take a step back and spend the rest of this season full time with my wife and two daughters. Make no mistake, I am not hanging it up," Swisher said. "I love this game with the same amount of passion that I had as a rookie 12 years ago.
"I want to thank the Yankees for giving me the opportunity to return to the organization that I love so much and wish them nothing but success for the rest of 2016. Despite not being at the ballpark every day, I will continue to train on a daily basis and evaluate my options for next season at the appropriate time."
Swisher and his wife, JoAnna, welcomed their second daughter, Sailor, earlier this week in Tampa, Fla. They also have a 3-year-old daughter, Emme.
Released by the Braves late in Spring Training, Swisher agreed to a Minor League contract with the Yankees in April. He played first base, left field, right field and designated hitter for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, hitting .255/.297/.377 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 55 games.
The Yankees had opportunities to promote Swisher to the Majors, as first basemen Mark Teixeira, Dustin Ackley and Chris Parmelee all sustained injuries, but chose not to.
"I don't think we would have signed him if we didn't want to take a look at him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We just felt some guys were ahead of him at the time, so he was never called. I respect what he did. He had another baby, so go and enjoy that."
Over a 12-year career with the Yankees, Athletics, Indians, Braves and White Sox, Swisher is a lifetime .249 hitter with 245 home runs and 803 RBIs in 1,527 games. He batted a combined .196 last year with the Indians and Braves.
"I'm not so sure that this will be it for him," Girardi said. "He was a guy that brought a lot of energy, had some big years for us here. A patient hitter that had power."