ATLANTA — Oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will have surgery to remove a small broken spur on the outside of his right ankle and will be sidelined until late May.
Dr. Martin O’Malley is to operate Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The Yankees said Bird is expected to return to game action in six-to-eight weeks.
The Yankees open the season Thursday at Toronto. Tyler Austin, who had been slated to start the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, could see time at first in Bird’s absence. Neil Walker also could shift over from second base to first.