Catcher Miguel Palma has become a free agent after spending the 2026 season in the New York Yankees’ minor league system, according to MLB.com.

“C Miguel Palma elected free agency,” MLB.com wrote.

Palma, 24, did not appear in a major league game for the Yankees this season.

He split time between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Most of his games came with the Somerset Patriots of the Eastern League.

In 56 games there, Palma hit nine home runs and drove in 34 runs while batting .221 with an on-base percentage of .312 and a slugging percentage of .392.

He went 1-for-6 in four games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a .167 average in limited action at the highest level of the minors.

Overall in 60 minor league games, he finished with a .219 average, nine homers and 34 RBI in 187 at-bats, along with a .708 OPS.

Palma signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on Dec. 17, 2025, after electing free agency from the Houston Astros organization the previous month.

That followed a 2025 season in the Astros system where he hit two home runs and 12 RBI with a .155 batting average in 41 games.

Those contests were split among the Florida Complex League Astros, Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, where he dealt with injuries that limited his playing time.

Born Jan. 4, 2002, in Caracas, Venezuela, Palma originally signed with the Astros as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2018 for a $300,000 bonus.

He was named a MiLB.com Organization All-Star in the Astros system in 2023 after a strong campaign that included a .285 average.

The Yankees invited him to spring training as a non-roster player in February 2026 before reassigning him to the minors in mid-March along with several other prospects.

The move comes as the Yankees begin an important offseason after being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.

New York finished 93-68 in the regular season but failed to advance past the ALDS for a second straight year, extending their World Series drought to 17 seasons.

Across his minor league career spanning more than 400 games, Palma has a .240 batting average with 41 home runs and 202 RBI in 1,309 at-bats.

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, he bats and throws right-handed and has shown more consistent power in recent seasons while continuing to refine his defensive skills behind the plate.

It remains to be seen where the former Yankees prospect lands next as organizations sort through their catching depth heading into 2027.