Greg

Bird

The 31-year-old hasn’t played in the big leagues since the 2019 season. He had been playing with the Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League, where he was slashing .277/.348/.539 with 11 homers and 40 RBI in 161 plate appearances. Perhaps this could be the stepping-stone that Bird needs to return to affiliated baseball stateside.

Bird signed a minor league contract with the Yankees back in April and has been cut loose after hitting .218/.325/.354 with six homers, 22 RBI and two steals across 240 plate appearances in 59 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 29-year-old former top prospect hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2019 campaign.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that he’ll earn $1 million this season, if he’s added to the Yankees’ major-league roster. Bird is back where it all began after failing to make the Blue Jays’ season-opening roster this spring. The 29-year-old slugger, who appeared in 186 games for New York from 2015 to 2019, will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the start of the regular season and could be a potential option sometime later this year.

Bird exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract after the Blue Jays declined to guarantee him a spot on the Opening Day roster. He’ll explore his options, but could always wind up returning to Toronto on another minor league pact.

Nothing official from the Blue Jays yet. Nicholson-Smith adds that Toronto was strongly considering adding him to the 40-man roster, but opted against it. The 29-year-old first baseman last appeared in the majors back in 2019 and put forth a strong showing in Grapefruit League play this spring. There could be some interest from other clubs or he could elect to return to the Blue Jays in the future.

He’s 4-for-7 with a homer thus far. The Blue Jays might have room for Bird on the bench if he turns in an exceptional spring, though that still seems like a long shot. The 29-year-old had a solid 2021 for the Rockies’ Triple-A club, but it’s been seven years since his one successful stint in the majors.

Bird showed such promise with the Yankees in the early part of his professional career before injuries and sinking production levels totally derailed him. The 29-year-old did rebound for an encouraging .894 OPS with 27 home runs and 91 RBI in 112 games last season with the Triple-A affiliate of the Rockies, but he’ll have a tough time making a splash in Toronto given all of the premier bats throughout the Blue Jays’ depth chart.

The latest round of subtractions trims the Rockies’ spring training roster to 30 players. Perhaps the most notable name to be included in this round is Bird, who ended up being beaten out by C.J. Cron for the Rockies’ starting job at first base this spring.

Bird did not play in 2020 due to a calf injury, followed by a positive COVID-19 test. He put up a .725 OPS between 2015-2019 for the Yankees, but his inability to stay on the field has been an ongoing theme. The 28-year-old is trying to tap into his power as he is vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Bird could end up as a viable platoon bat alongside C.J. Cron at first base.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network says Bird will make $1 million if in the majors, with $1 million more possible in incentives. Bird spent time with the Rangers and Phillies in 2020 but did not get into a game at the major league level. He has battled all sorts of injuries throughout his career, but the 28-year-old former top prospect still presumably possesses a good amount of raw power and will look to finally unlock it if he can crack the Opening Day roster in Colorado. Bird registered a promising .871 OPS and 11 home runs in 46 games with the Yankees as a rookie back in 2015 before stumbling to a combined .675 OPS in 140 games between 2017-2019.