February is usually a time where fans are counting down to pitchers and catchers reporting, but on the first day of the new month, the Yankees were dealt what could prove to be a significant blow.
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It was revealed that first baseman Greg Bird will be undergoing shoulder surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn labrum, which will cause him to miss the entire 2016 season. The Yankees have veteran Mark Teixeira starting at first base, but given his injury history, the loss of Bird could prove to be major.
New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman revealed that the power-hitting lefty will miss the season after re-aggravating an injury he suffered in the minors last May. Though he was able to play last year after sustaining the original ailment, Bird felt it again this offseason.
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Bird, 23, was expected to start this season in Triple-A, but he was slated to be the go-to guy for a call up if Teixeira or even designated hitter Alex Rodriguez went down with an injury or needed time off. Teixeira will turn 36 in April, while Rodriguez will be 41 in July.
Rodriguez and Teixeira have both had injury-plagued careers, and the first baseman's 2015 season came to an end in August after he fouled a ball off of his shin and later discovered that he fractured it. Teixeira was limited to just 111 games last season.
With the two aging sluggers representing a huge injury risk in the middle of the Yankees' lineup, the loss of Bird could loom even larger.
The 6-foot-3 first baseman played 46 games and had 178 plate appearances last year, batting .261/.343/.529 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs after making his MLB debut on Aug. 13.
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