Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees signed veteran righty Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract on Wednesday in an attempt to bulk up their starting rotation.
The 31-year-old Ponson was 4-1 with a 3.88 earned run average in nine starts before being designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on June 6.
The Yankees also announced that they have claimed right hander Oneli Perez off waivers from the Cleveland Indians and optioned him to Double-A Trenton. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred righty Jonathan Albaladejo to the 60-day disabled list.
New York suffered a serious blow to its pitching staff as ace Chien-Ming Wang went down with a Lisfranc injury and will be shelved until at least September. Dan Giese is set to make Saturday's start against the Cincinnati Reds in lieu of Wang.