The New York Yankees were dealt a major blow on Monday, as Greg Bird will miss all of the 2016 season with a torn labrum.
Monday afternoon Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that promising Yankee first baseman Greg Bird will miss all of this coming season with a torn labrum.
I have learned Greg Bird is going to miss all of the 2016 season. Going for shoulder surgery tomorrow #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 1, 2016
Bird out the shoulder last year while in the minors. Felt it again this offseason. Was diagnosed with torn labrum
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 1, 2016
As stated by Sherman, this was a previous injury Bird suffered last year which plagued him again this offseason. The injury appears relatively serious considering it was announced Bird will miss the entirety of the season, even before going in for surgery.
While this isn’t the same kind of blow as losing a starter, it was expected that Bird could potentially play a big role for the Yankees in 2016. Although he was already stated to start the season in Triple A, likely to conserve his service time, he still was expected to get playing time should any injuries occur at the big league level, mainly to either Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira. Given that both of those guys are getting older and have had injury concerns in the past, that was a rather likely scenario.
Now the Yankees will be betting on both of those guys staying healthy for the entire season. That is certainly a risky bet to make, but the Yankees do have some options.
Either Brian McCann or Gary Sanchez may be able to play at first or DH in case of an injury to Tex or Arod. The Yankees also have Dustin Ackley who may be able to play some first base in a pinch. It is not a great scenario for the Yankees to be faced with on the eve of Spring Training, but there are some possible solutions in front of them.
One other more curious potential solution is signing a free agent, such as Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez can provide insurance at both 1B and DH, in case of some sort of injury to either of those positions. Alvarez has declined in recent years, but still could be serviceable in an emergency situation. It remains unclear whether this is something the Yankees would consider, but he is available.
At the end of the day, this is a tough blow for the Yankees so close to opening day. Now the team will have to bank on the health of both of Teixeira and Rodriguez, or find another insurance policy. It would seem most prudent for the Yankees to find another option to add depth. Until then, some uncertainty clouds the Yankees 2016 season.
