Greg Bird’s injury affects the 2017 Yankees a lot more than it affects them in 2016.
The Yankees announced Monday that Bird is having season-ending surgery for a labrum tear in his right shoulder, a problem that first surfaced last year but has not gotten better. In fact, it has gotten worse, and that’s why Bird is off the Yankees’ radar in 2016.
But, remember, despite Bird’s spectacular arrival last August he was not even viewed as a favorite to make this year’s opening day roster. With a healthy Mark Teixeira back as the starting first baseman and the more versatile Dustin Ackley as his backup, the Yankees determined months ago that Bird was better suited taking every day at-bats and reps at Triple-A, readying for what was likely to be a step up to the big league job when Teixeira could be let go as a free agent after this upcoming season.