Around the Empire: Yankees news - 3/28/16

LoHud Yankees Blog | Chad Jennings: Chris Denorfia, who was signed to a minor league deal with the Yankees, has opted out of his contract and has been released. With Dustin Ackley and Aaron Hicks on the bench to provide outfield depth, Denorfia never had much of a shot of making the team this year.

FanGraphs | Paul Swydan: Yankees' designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is ranked 12th on FanGraphs' DH power rankings behind heavy hitters such as the Indians' Carlos Santana and the Rays' Corey Dickerson. A-Rod will probably have the last laugh after another 30-homer season, but we'll just wait and see.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Dellin Betances' stellar performance this spring is especially impressive given how much he struggled last spring training and early in the season in 2015. He credits his immediate success this year to increased shoulder workouts during the offseason.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Rumor has it that the Yankees do not believe their 25th man is currently on the team, and are looking around the league for help in the backup infielder department. With Rob Refsnyder's face's recent stint as a ball-magnet and Ronald Torreyes' lack of experience, this is not surprising news.

ROSTER MOVE: Prior to today's game, the Yankees optioned INF Rob Refsnyder to @swbrailriders and reassigned him to minor league camp

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 27, 2016

ESPN New York | Associated Press: The Yankees lost to the Twins 5-2 yesterday. Nathan Eovaldi gave up five runs in five plus innings, and Jacoby Ellsbury was hitless in his first game back after being hit by a pitch on the wrist on March 19.