Veteran catcher Gary Sanchez opts out of contract with Giants

Veteran catcher Gary Sanchez opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants after he was not added to the major league roster.

Sanchez, 30, agreed a minor league deal with the Giants in late March with the stipulation that he could depart if he wasn't in the major leagues by May 1. He was batting .164 with one extra-base hit and eight RBIs in 16 games with Triple-A Sacramento.

The Giants announced they released Sanchez from the Sacramento roster.

The two-time All-Star with the New York Yankees struggled last year in his one season with the Minnesota Twins. He batted .205 while hitting 16 homers and driving in 61 runs in 128 games.

Sanchez spent his first seven seasons with the Yankees and started his tenure by hitting 20 homers in 53 games in 2016. He finished second for American League Rookie of the Year honors despite a late recall from the minors.

The following season, Sanchez launched 33 homers and had a career-high 90 RBIs while batting .278 in 122 games. He was an All-Star that season as well as in 2019, when he hit a career-high 34 homers.

But over the past three seasons, Sanchez has batted .147, .204 and .205 in the major leagues.

Overall, Sanchez has a .225 career average with 154 homers and 401 RBIs in 666 games.