12:21pm: Gonzalez has in fact been designated for assignment, the Yankees announced in a press release. The club has placed outfielder Zoilo Almonte on the 15-day DL to clear the other needed active roster spot.
12:03pm: The Yankees have removed infielder Alberto Gonzalez from the club's active roster, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. While the precise roster move to be made has not yet been reported, Gonzalez is out of options and would need to clear waivers to be sent down, making it likely that he has been designated for assignment (assuming he has not been released). The move will create space for the call-ups of outfielders Melky Mesa and Thomas Neal.
New York acquired Gonzalez from the Cubs in May. They promptly designated him and then assigned him to Triple-A when he cleared waivers. On the year, Gonzalez has accumulated just 60 plate appearances for the Yankees and Cubs, posting a meager .193/.217/.281 line and six stolen bases. The 30-year-old is a career .239/.275/.315 hitter across 1023 big league plate appearances spanning seven seasons.
Gonzalez became expendable with the team's decision to activate third baseman Alex Rodriguez from the DL on Monday. It continues to be a busy season of transactions for the Yanks, who originally designated Gonzalez to make room for the since-designated Reid Brignac. The club will certainly hope that Rodriguez can hold down a spot on the hot corner for the rest of the year.
