The New York Yankees have signed first baseman Greg Bird to a minor league contract. He will be reporting to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, a familiar place for him. The 29-year-old was released by the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week, despite having a solid spring with the club. Over 11 games and 28 plate appearances this spring, he slashed .261/.393/.565 with two home runs and a double. We could be a few injuries away from seeing Bird in pinstripes once again.
The Toronto Blue Jays released first baseman Greg Bird on Monday, according to a source. The Jays were strongly considering adding him to the 40-man roster this spring, but they have decided to part ways instead. There's a chance that Bird could re-sign with Toronto, but other teams will likely have interest in him after a strong spring showing. The 29-year-old was sporting a healthy .958 OPS in spring training with two home runs, six RBI and a .261/.393/.565 slash line in 11 Grapefruit League games over 28 plate appearances. Once considered an intriguing left-handed power bat for the New York Yankees, Bird could latch on elsewhere as organizational depth at first base.
The Toronto Blue Jays signed first baseman Greg Bird to a minor league deal on Thursday. Bird played in parts of four major league seasons with the New York Yankees from 2015-19 and spent last year with the Colorado Rockies Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .267 with an .894 OPS and 27 home runs. The 29-year-old left-handed slugger never got his career off the ground in the Bronx due to injuries, but the Blue Jays are an intriguing landing spot. In his four seasons with the Yankees, Bird hit .211/.301/.424 with 32 home runs and 98 RBI in 700 plate appearances over 186 games. It will be an uphill climb for Bird to make it back to the big leagues, but he's worth keeping an eye on in the minors in 2022.
The Colorado Rockies signed free-agent first baseman Greg Bird to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training on Thursday. The former Yankee didn't appear in the major leagues with the Rangers last season. Bird will return home after playing his high-school ball for Grandview High School in Colorado. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter suffered a calf injury last year with Texas and was released before signing a minor league deal with the Phillies. Once considered a legitimate up-and-coming power threat for the Yankees, Bird's career has been derailed by injuries, and he hit just .171/.293/.257 with one homer and one RBI in 10 games with the Yankees in 2019. He'll provide depth at first base in Colorado, but he could also become an attractive waiver pickup if he makes the team and carves out some playing time at Coors Field.
Greg Bird Activated, Designated For Assignment On Tuesday
Texas Rangers first baseman Greg Bird was activated from the injured list on Tuesday, and then he was promptly designated for assignment. The 27-year-old has only played in 186 MLB games since making his debut in 2015 due to a litany of injuries. Bird will join the Rangers' alternate training site if no other team scoops him up on the waiver wire. He is a fantasy afterthought for the foreseeable future.
Greg Bird Goes Hitless As Battle For First Intensifies
Texas Rangers first baseman Greg Bird had a terrible day at the plate on Tuesday on the same day that his manager challenged him to win the job. Bird was one of four players to play the whole game against the Chicago White Sox and was the only one unable to record a hit in the 9-2 victory. His final line was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, and Bird's slash line is a weak .103/.188/.103 through 10 games this spring. The Rangers have options if neither Bird or Guzman stake their claim at first. Todd Frazier took grounders over there on Tuesday, and Nick Solak, Danny Santana, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa can all also play infield positions. The former-Yankee could be looking for a new team is he does not start hitting soon and is not worth the draft capital in any leagues outside of the deepest AL-only formats.
Ronald Guzman, Greg Bird Still Battling At First Base
Texas Rangers first basemanRonald Guzman and Greg Bird were essentially put on notice by their manager Chris Woodward on Tuesday. Woodward said it was "a big week" for the pair of hitters, as neither player has stepped up to claim the first base job. Todd Frazier was taking ground balls at first on Wednesday, and the Rangers do have plenty of options with Frazier, Nick Solakand Isiah Kiner-Falefa able to play in the infield. Still, it seems that Woodward prefers Guzman or Bird to win the job for themselves. If neither player can grab the position, there could be some whacky roster construction going on in Texas as they head into the new season. This first base battle is one to watch for AL-only managers.
The Texas Rangers signed first baseman Greg Bird to a minor league deal on Tuesday. The deal will include an invite to spring training. If Bird can manage to stay healthy -- he's played in only 92 games the last two seasons with the Yankees combined due to multiple injuries -- he should have a pretty good spot at making this Texas roster out of spring training. His left-handed power bat should play nicely at the hitting-friendly environment in Texas, too, so Bird could be a sneaky late-round flier in deep mixed leagues if he's in a platoon with Ronald Guzman at first base.
The New York Yankees released outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and designated Greg Bird for assignment on Wednesday. Ellsbury, who hasn't played since 2017 due to various injuries, was let go with more than $26 million left on his $153 million, seven-year deal. The 36-year-old hit .264 with 39 homers, 198 RBI and 102 stolen bases in 520 games in his six years in pinstripes, but he may never make it back to the bigs again. Bird, 27, had plenty of power-hitting intrigue, but he, too, failed to stay healthy for the Yankees. He missed all of 2016 following surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Bird could never stay on the field for long stretches of time, and his numbers suffered as a result. He should be able to latch on with another team, but he'll have to earn a spot.
New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (foot) is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and went 0-for-3 with a walk in his debut with the Gigantes del Cibao on Tuesday. Bird didn't play for the Yankees after April 13 due to plantar fasciitis. The Yankees could non-tender him this offseason to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old has the talent, but he hasn't been able to stay on the field consistently due to injuries. New York also has other options at first base in Luke Voit, Mike Ford and DJ LeMahieu. A change of scenery would probably be the best-case scenario for Bird, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. He obviously won't be much of a fantasy option in next year's drafts.
