New York Yankees Injury Rumors 2016: Greg Bird Has Shoulder Injury, Will Miss 2016 Season
One of the brightest prospects in the New York Yankees lineup this coming season is first baseman Greg Bird. However, it is unfortunate that the young player will be missing the entirety of the 2016 season after deciding to undergo surgery to treat his injured right shoulder.
The injury is specifically described as a torn labrum and something that will have to be surgically repaired in order to prevent any reoccurrence. He will be under the care of Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery.
There are also some reports saying that Bird may actually be able to make a return at the tail end of the season, but there really is no telling when he'll be ready, especially right now that the surgery hasn't been performed yet.
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The 23-year-old made his debut in the major league in August of last year, taking over the job at first base when starter Mark Teixeira went down with his own injury. At bat, Bird has been decent, hitting .261 while coming up with 11 home runs. He also had nine doubles in 157 opportunities and produced 31 RBIs.
The Yankees have been particularly unlucky this offseason with the news of Bird's injury, but all is not lost though. The team still has good depth heading into the new season. Teixeira is expected to have fully recovered while there are still dependable players in Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez, and Dustin Ackley. The outfield meanwhile still has several options in Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury.
In the event that Teixeira won't be able to make it healthy this year, the team will be forced to put McCann to first base, while Gary Sanchez gets his much-earned opportunity. There's also Aaron Judge, though he can be a doubtful option considering the unimpressive performance he has last year in Triple A.
