The Yankees severed ties Tuesday with former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Brackman, releasing the pitcher instead of picking up the option on his contract. General manager Brian Cashman announced the move, which comes after Brackman regressed badly in the minor leagues.The 6-foot-11 right-hander entered spring training with a chance to impress coaches, only to be slowed by a groin injury. Brackman, 25, struggled so badly with his command that the Yankees moved him into the bullpen, where he finished the season as a late-season call-up. Once a highly touted prospect, Brackman made just three appearances for the Yankees, allowing no runs in 2⅓ innings.The Yankees took a chance on Brackman out of North Carolina State, where he also played basketball. Despite needing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees chose him 30th overall in the 2007 draft and gave him a four-year major league deal and a $3.35 million signing bonus.They hoped they had landed a high-end starer. Instead, Brackman struggled after surgery, rediscovered himself with an impressive 2010 season, and then faltered. In 33 appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, most of them out of the bullpen, Brackman went 306 with a 6.00 ERA. He issued 75 walks, or seven per every nine innings he pitched.