Higashioka was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
Higashioka filled a backup role while Gary Sanchez (groin) was on the disabled list, but Sanchez's return sends him back to the minors. The 28-year-old grabbed his first big-league hits in his time with the Yankees (the first three of which were all homers), though he hit just .167 in 11 games.