Wang granted his release by Yankees

SEATTLE -- Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang exercised an out clause in his Yankees Minor League contract on Friday and was granted his release.

Wang, 33, was 4-4 with a 2.33 ERA in nine starts spanning 58 innings at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is reportedly close to signing a Major League deal with the Blue Jays, according to FOXSports.com.

"His numbers were good," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "His velocity was down a little bit. We had a lot of 87s and 88s [mph], I think, and at this time we just didn't really have space for him."

Wang allowed 57 hits with two home runs, 10 walks and 25 strikeouts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

He also had April 30 and May 31 out clauses in his contract with the Yankees but said he would not trigger them unless a big league opportunity presented itself. The Blue Jays are reportedly looking to have Wang start on Tuesday against the White Sox.