New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will miss the 2016 season. The news was first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post and later confirmed by the team itself.
Bird reportedly suffered the injury last year while in the minors but managed to play through it and finish out the campaign. It apparently resurfaced again this offseason and surgery was deemed necessary.
The season-erasing injury is a major disappointment for the Yankees after Bird’s impressive display in limited action last year. The highly-touted prospect made his big league debut last August and was quickly promoted to a starting role after Mark Teixeira went down with a fractured leg.
Bird exceeded all expectations in 46 games, slashing .261/.343/.529 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs over 178 plate appearances. The youngster had been praised for his power in the minor leagues, but only the most optimistic observer could have anticipated the pace he set over 2015’s final month and a half.
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In fact, at that rate Bird would have belted 39 homers and driven in 109 runs over 162 games. No one was counting on that kind of production this season, but Yankees fan were surely salivating at the thought.
Granted, by most accounts Bird would have started 2016 back at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Teixeira is reportedly healthy and ready to go in the final year of his contract. However, given his extensive injury history as well as that of designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, the 23-year-old Bird figured to get some major league time this year one way or another.
Bird’s absence now makes it even more imperative for Teixeira to remain healthy and put up the kind of numbers he did last season before his injury. In 111 games, the 35-year-old veteran posted a .255/.357/.548 with 31 home runs and 79 RBIs, a significant improvement over the previous few campaigns.
A continued resurgence from Teixeira would go a long way toward softening the blow of Bird’s injury, but missing the entire season also means the coveted prospect will miss out on valuable development time. Given the Yankees’ relative inactivity on the free agent and trade markets recently, it is clear the franchise hopes farm system products like Bird, starting pitcher Luis Severino and outfielder Aaron Judge will form a new young core for the team in the near future.
A lost season for Bird throws somewhat of a wrench into those plans. At this point it’s unclear what his availability will be for the start of the 2017 season and whether he’ll be prepared to take on a full-time starting role. If he’s not ready to go, where do the Yankees turn at first base? A free agent stopgap? Do they make Teixeira a qualifying offer? It’s impossible to say at this point, but there are certainly a few directions this situation could take.
In terms of backup first base options for 2016, starting catcher Brian McCann has made 26 appearances there over the last two seasons and may make a few more in the next one. Utility man Dustin Ackley is a possibility, and third baseman Chase Headley has played on the other corner of the diamond as well. GM Brian Cashman may prefer to stretch his in-house options rather than sign someone off the scrap heap.
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For the Yankees’ current major league roster, Bird’s injury won’t change much at the present moment. But if 35-year-old Teixeira or 40-year-old A-Rod need to spend any length of time on the DL, his absence will be felt in a big way.