TAMPA, Fla. (WFAN) — Like last season, Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will miss significant time with an ankle injury.
The Yankees announced Monday that Bird will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a small broken spur on his right ankle. He is expected to rehab for six to eight weeks before returning to game action.
The procedure will be performed by Dr. Martin O'Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Bird reported feeling discomfort. An MRI and CT Scan found no structural damage. He flew back to New York on Monday to see O'Malley, who recommended surgery.
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Last season, Bird missed the better part of four months with a right ankle injury that also required surgery — to remove the os trigonum, an extra bone, after he fouled a ball off the ankle.
Bird burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2015, hitting 11 in 46 games. He, however, missed the entire 2016 season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and was limited to just 48 games last year.
Bird, 25, hit .190 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs last season. He batted .244 with three homers and six RBIs in the playoffs.
Neil Walker and Tyler Austin are potential fill-ins at first base while Bird is out.
The Yankees open the regular season Thursday at Toronto.
