MINNEAPOLIS -- The New York Yankees reunion with Alfonso Soriano is likely over after the team designated the struggling outfielder for assignment on Sunday. Soriano returned to New York midway through last season and sparked the offence with 17 home runs in 58 games. But Soriano hit just .221 this season with six homers and 23 RBIs in 67 games. The Yankees announced the move shortly after acquiring Arizona right-handed starter Brandon McCarthy for lefty Vidal Nuno. "We designated Soriano, which is extremely difficult because hes been a great Yankee and a great player," New York manager Joe Girardi said before Sundays game at Minnesota. Sorianos playing time decreased considerably this year after New York signed Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran in the off-season. He recently has been splitting time in right field with Ichiro Suzuki since Beltran was injured and is now limited to designated hitter. But the slugger who started his major league career with the Yankees in 1999 and has 412 career homers has not connected since May 17 and has struck out 71 times in 226 at-bats. The 38-year-old Soriano is in the final year of an eight-year, $136 million deal he signed with the Chicago Cubs, who are paying $13 million of his $18 million salary this year. The Yankees have 10 days to trade or place Soriano on unconditional waivers. If he clears waivers, New York can release him. "For Soriano, its a guy that came in and did a tremendous job for us last year, has had his struggles this year and hes a guy thats used to playing every day," Girardi said. "Wasnt every day for him, maybe it was harder for him to get going, not sure. Im sure hes extremely disappointed. Soriano always takes things with class." The Yankees recalled pitcher Bruce Billings from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Billings pitched in one game for New York this season, allowing four runs in four innings on April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels. Girardi has an open spot in the starting rotation after Nuno was traded to the Diamondbacks. Nuno was slated to start on Monday and McCarthy pitched on Thursday. New York wont force McCarthy into Nunos spot on short rest. Billings -- who has started 11 games in Triple-A -- wont be a candidate to start on Monday, Girardi said. An announcement will be made later. "The taxing of our bullpen kind of forced us to make this move, in a sense," Girardi said. "Im not saying it wouldnt have happened, but we decided we had to make it today because we need to." Ronald Acuna Jr. Braves Jersey . -- Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied the last three holes and five of the final six Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with Mi Jung Hur in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. Wholesale Braves Jerseys . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. https://www.cheapbraves.com/. One out away from finishing off an impressive shutout, they let a must-win game slip away. Jacob Webb Braves Jersey .Y. - OK, it is done. Matt Joyce Jersey . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No.Canadas Alex Harvey was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the mens cross-country sprint at the Sochi Olympics on Tuesday, finishing fourth in his heat. Harvey, Canadas best hope for a medal in the event, needed to finish in the top-two of his heat or post one of the two best times out of the rest of the competitors to advance. He finished the race with a time of 3:37.89. Two Swedes posted the fastest times of the round in the third heat. Emil Joensson finished in 3:33.20 and teammate Teodor Peterson was right behind him with a time of 3:33.62. On the womens side two Canadians advanced to the quarter-finals, but couldnt get through their heats. Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., finished fifth in the second grouping, and Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., placed fifth in the final heaat.dddddddddddd Norways Maiken Casperson Falla looks poised for a run at the gold, advancing in the first heat with the fastest time of the quarters, finishing at 2:33.23. She also had the fastest time in the qualifying round. U.S. skier Kikkan Randall, who was gunning to become the first American to win gold in cross country, made a surprising exit in the quarters after finishing fourth in the deepest heat of the round, which also sported top medal threats Denise Herrmann of Germany and Norways Marit Bjoergen, both of whom advanced. Canadian Chandra Crawford, the 2006 Olympic champion in the event, finished out of the top 30 in the qualifying round and didnt advance to the quarter-finals, placing 44th. Teammate Heidi Widmer finished just ahead of Crawford in 43rd. ' ' '