Yankees released DH Jack Cust. Cust was batting .249/.400/.475 with 20 homers and 66 RBI for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but the Yankees have apparently decided they'd be better served giving playing time to others. The 33-year-old should be able to catch on somewhere else if he wants, though it's possible he'll just decide to shut it down until next year.

Yankees signed DH Jack Cust to a minor league contract. Cust was released by the Astros on Tuesday after battling an elbow injury while collecting just one hit in 25 at-bats this spring. His power has faded a bit over the past couple of years, but he still knows how to draw a walk. The 33-year-old will serve as insurance at the Triple-A level.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Jack Cust will sign a minor league deal with a National League team. It won't be the Rockies and it's also fair to take the Astros out of the mix, since they released him Tuesday morning. Cust went just 1-for-25 this spring and is unlikely to crack a major league roster anytime soon.

Astros released OF Jack Cust. Cust signed a one-year, $600,000 major league contract with the Astros this winter and was expected to open the 2012 regular season as an active pinch-hitter. But he collected just one hit in 25 at-bats this spring while battling elbow issues, effectively playing his way out of a 25-man roster spot. The Astros also released left-hander Zach Duke on Tuesday morning.

Jack Cust went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Monday's win over the Yankees. Cust is still in search of his first hit this spring. He's now 0-for-14 with four strikeouts and three walks thus far.

Jack Cust skipped baserunning sprints Tuesday after tweaking his right knee. "He bent over for a ball and felt something in the back of his knee and the trainers didn't want him to run on it," said Astros manager Brad Mills. "I talked to him and he doesn't think it's that bad." Cust is scheduled to be reevaluated Wednesday.

Astros signed OF Jack Cust to a one-year, $600,000 contract with a club option for 2013. This deal looked like a real head-scratcher at first, but it's a little more reasonable under these terms. Cust, 33, batted .213/.334/.329 with three home runs, 23 RBI and a .673 OPS over 270 plate appearances before being released by the Mariners last August. He'll function as a left-handed bat off the bench for the Astros this season and with any luck, the club could have a cheap option at DH in 2013. We wouldn't bank on a sudden turnaround, but with such a minimal guarantee, it's worth a shot.

Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros and Jack Cust have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com previously reported that Cust was getting a two-year deal, so this at least makes a little more sense. Still, it's surprising to see the 33-year-old get anything more than a spring training invite after hitting .213 with three homers and .673 OPS over 270 plate appearances last season with the Mariners. Cust is regarded as a terrible defender, so he will likely function as a left-handed bat of the bench in 2012.

Phillies released DH/OF Jack Cust. That didn't take long. Cust inked a minor-league deal eight days ago and posted an .848 OPS in 23 plate appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Philadelphia pulled the plug on him. He hit .213 while homering just three times in 67 games for the Mariners this season, but still managed to reach base at a clip of .344 in 270 plate appearances. The 32-year-old could still interest another organization as a left-handed bat off the bench, but he'll probably need to accept another assignment to a Triple-A affiliate.

Phillies signed DH/OF Jack Cust to a minor-league contract. Cust hit .213 while homering just three times in 67 games for the Mariners this season, but still managed to reach base at a clip of .344 in 270 plate appearances. However, he's an extreme liability on defense, and could be limited to pinch-hitting duties if he gets the call to Philadelphia.