Way out of slump in minors
campaign due to a shoulder injury.
“You want to see him swinging the bat and making hard contact,” Girardi said. “I mean, that’s the biggest thing, that he feels good at the plate.”
Bird’s fall is just as stunning as Aaron Judge’s rise. On Opening Day, Bird hit third for the Yankees and Judge hit eighth. Now, Judge, the favorite to capture AL MVP honors, is hitting third and Bird, who hasn’t been able to find his sweet swing from the spring, is hitting third for the RailRiders.
Bird fouled a ball off his ankle in the team’s final Grapefruit League game, and simply hasn’t been the same since. He tried to play through the injury but went 6-for-60 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a bone bruise in his right ankle on May 2.
The Yankees were hopeful he’d be back shortly. That hasn’t been the case.
Chris Carter continues to drive fans mad, leading them to ask on a daily basis when he’ll be designated for assignment. Carter has a .669 OPS and minus-0.2 WAR, according to ESPN. On Tuesday night, he lost an accurate throw from Didi Gregorius in the lights and couldn’t catch it at first base. His error led to an unearned run.
There’s no doubt the Yankees miss Bird, or rather, the Bird they saw in the spring. But they’ve easily been able to overcome his absence because of the ascension of Judge and Gary Sanchez rediscovering his dominant hitting form from last season.
It doesn’t appear Bird is going to be back anytime soon. He’s simply going to have to earn his return.