Report: Greg Bird to miss 2016 season with a torn labrum

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) The New York Yankees will be without one of their promising youngsters during the 2016 season. First baseman Greg Bird reportedly has a torn labrum, and will undergo season-ending surgery, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

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The injury is significant for a number of reasons. When Mark Teixeira went down last season, the 23-year-old Bird put up exceptional numbers in his absence. Bird hit .261/.343/.529, with 11 home runs, over 178 plate appearances. When the Yankees offense was puttering down the stretch, Bird emerged as one of the lone bright spots.

Given Teixeira’s lengthy injury history, it’s assumed Bird would have been called upon again in 2016. Teixeira had a bounce-back season offensively in 2015, but was limited to just 111 games. In the prior two seasons, he played in just 123 games each year. Bird may not have opened the year with the major-league club, but he likely would have stumbled into a full-time role when Teixeira went down again.

It’s not just the 35-year-old Teixiera, though. The Yankees are built on veteran players who may need the occasional day off in order to keep their bodies healthy. While Alex Rodriguez was fantastic last year, he’s now 40, and is coming off a rough second half. Even if both Rodriguez and Teixiera stayed healthy in 2016, Bird could have been used as a frequent replacement when those guys needed a blow as the season progressed.

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If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Bird’s injury prevents a weird playing time issue. As currently constructed, the Yankees don’t really have a place for Bird in the everyday lineup. It’s likely that, despite his numbers last year, Bird would have opened the season in Triple-A.

That’s not a bad thing, as Bird deserves to receive a full workload, but he also more than proved himself in the majors during his brief stint. His 2015 wasn’t without flaws. Bird’s strikeout rate was a dangerous 29.8 percent, so it’s possible he would have been exposed as the league adjusted to his approach. Still, he earned the shot to prove as much based on his production.

With Teixeira entering the final year of his contract, Bird seems like a natural replacement at the position in 2017 once he gets healthy. There’s uncertainty in that, and it’s less than optimal for both the club and the fans, but at least it works out as far as contracts are concerned.

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Either way, the whole thing is pretty disappointing. Bird looked like a promising young player on a team desperately in need of young stars. While he’s in line to become a full-time player once he’s able to return, Bird likely would have played a significant role in the team’s success in 2016.

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