Bettis played seven seasons for the Rockies before signing a minor league contract with the Yankees over the offseason. "Today I am walking away from the game with my head held high, knowing that I pushed my body as far as it could go physically," Bettis said Thursday. The 31-year-old right-hander is a cancer survivor who was a 14-game winner for Colorado back in 2016.

Bettis has been sidelined all spring due to back soreness and it's not clear when he will be ready for game action. He might have had a shot at a rotation spot if he was healthy, but obviously that's not an option now.

Bettis is coming off hip surgery that ended his 2019 season early, but he'll get a chance to compete in major-league camp pending a physical. His production trended in the wrong direction last year as he posted a 6.08 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, but the reliever will look to turn things around in 2020. It wouldn't be surprising to see the right-hander in the majors at some point in 2020 if he can regain some of the production he's had in the past.

Bettis underwent surgery on both hips at the end of August, but is expected to have a normal offseason and to be at full strength once spring training begins. The right-hander was outrighted by the Rockies after posting a 6.08 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP over 63.2 innings pitched in the majors last season.