Deja vu all over again…at least we hope not. The New York Yankees have scratched Greg Bird from the lineup prior to his first at-bat on Saturday.
Having split squads means that players will get a chance to play alongside different members of the New York Yankees organization. However, at least some of these guys won’t get to play with Greg Bird, as they originally anticipated today.
Brandon Kuty of NJ.com reported that Bird was scratched from his lineup start Saturday against the Atlanta Braves in Buena Vista, FL.
Greg Bird scratched from start before at-bat in first inning. Awaiting word on why #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 24, 2018
The answer as to “why” arrived very soon after, as Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News due to a sore right foot.
Say it with me, everyone…uh oh.
First of all, we should be concerned because of the fact that Bird has been a magnet for injuries for the entirety of his short career. Second, the concern lies in the fact that Bird’s area of concern is his right foot…the same foot that kept him out of the majority of last season.
Returning from that injury last season, Bird batted .253 with eight home runs and had some magical moments in the playoffs, where he hit three home runs, including a solo shot that kept the Yankees in the playoffs in Game 3 of the ALDS.
According to Mazzeo’s report, Bird will be looked at by the team crew as well as Dr. Daniel Murphy.
So far this spring, Bird has struggled significantly, posting a .154 batting average with eight hits and four RBIs. While he’s only slugged one home run, Bird’s was an absolute moonshot in Tampa.
Hopefully it is nothing more than a strain from overuse and a few weeks from now, he’ll be performing great feats in the field for the Yankees. However, if it something more significant, we have to be prepared for that.
With Opening Day on Thursday, the Yankees need a healthy Bird to compete…or else this season at first base might just end up being for the birds.
