Greg Bird is OK.
The Yankees first baseman was hit by a pitch near his elbow in Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Houston Astros and remained in the game. But after experiencing swelling and tightness, the Yankees scratched him from Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida, and sent him back to their facility in Tampa for evaluation, manager Aaron Boone said.
USA TODAY Images Bird, 26, is locked in a tight competition with Luke Voit for the starting first-base job, with the loser inevitably expected to be sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Heading into Thursday, Bird was hitting .333 with three homers and a .409 on-base percentage this spring, while Voit was batting .316 with four home runs and a .395 OBP.
Injuries have been a constant problem for Bird since he arrived in the majors in 2015. He missed all of the 2016 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, and foot and ankle injuries cost him to miss significant time each of the past two years. He has yet to play in more than 82 games in a season.
Last season, Bird batted .199 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs.