The injuries continue to pile up for the New York Yankees, and now it’s Greg Bird’s turn to hit the injured list.
The New York Yankees announced late Tuesday morning that they’ve placed first baseman Greg Bird on the 10-day IL with a left plantar fascia tear.
Prior to tonight’s game, the @Yankees placed 1B Greg Bird on the 10-day I.L. (retro to 4/14) with a left plantar fascia tear, selected 1B Mike Ford from Triple-A @swbrailriders and signed him to a Major League contract, and transferred OF Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day I.L.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 16, 2019
In a corresponding move, the team recalled Mike Ford from Scranton and moved Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day IL to make room for Ford on the 40-man roster.
Bird is the 12th key Yankee to hit the shelf this year with some type of injury and just continues to add to his injury history. He’s yet to play a full season at the big league level, and whenever he’s been healthy, he’s yet to put together any consistency.
This season, the 26-year-old is hitting .171 with a home run and one RBI to go along with 16 strikeouts in just 10 games. It looks like the injury occurred in the Yankees 4-0 win over Chicago on April 13 running the bases. He did not suit up for the Bombers latest game, but the assumption was because the Bombers were facing a lefty.
Taking the place of Bird is 26-year-old Mike Ford who is off to a ridiculous start in Triple-A.
He posted a .410 batting average while hitting five home runs to go along with four doubles and 14 RBI. He most likely won’t be in the lineup Tuesday with Chris Sale playing, but this looks like it could be an opportunity for Ford who’s been in the minors for seven seasons.
The only question left to ask, when it comes to Bird, is how many more chances will he get when he’s fully healthy? He’s been given every opportunity possible to prove he can be a major league first baseman, but just does not look the part anymore.
Bird had his moments, like the clutch home run off Andrew Miller in the 2017 ALDS. But outside of one or two bright spots the last three years, he’s practically been a nonfactor. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he’s not with this team next season no matter how much the front office likes his swing.
