Greg Bird

BIOGRAPHY

Greg Bird was born November 9, 1992, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is an infielder in the MLB.

On August 13, 2015, the Yankees announced that they would promote Bird to the major leagues, serving as a backup to Mark Teixeira at first base and Alex Rodriguez at designated hitter. He made his major league debut that night, going 0-for-5. He collected his first hit on August 15, a single off of Toronto Blue Jays reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Teixeira injured his leg during a hit-by-pitch on August 17, which was later diagnosed as a season-ending shin fracture. As a result, Bird became the Yankees' starting first baseman for the rest of 2015.

On August 19, Bird hit his first two MLB home runs off of Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana. On September 7, Bird hit a go-ahead three-run home run in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. On September 22, Bird hit a game-winning three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the tenth inning. He finished the season with a .261 batting average and a .343 on-base percentage. In 46 games and 157 at-bats, Bird hit 11 home runs with 31 RBIs.

On May 2, Bird was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a bruised right ankle. His performance was hampered due to an injury he sustained after fouling a ball of his foot at the end of Spring Training, batting .100 in 19 games. In July, Bird was diagnosed with an injury to the os trigonum in his right foot; he would have surgery to remove the bone. On August 26, Bird was activated of the 60-day DL after missing 103 games and went 1-for-2 with two walks in a game that afternoon. Since his return from injury, Bird batted .253 and hit 8 home runs. In 48 games played in 2017, Bird batted .190 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI.

In Game 3 of the ALDS, Bird hit a solo home run off of Cleveland Indians reliever and former Yankee Andrew Miller, only the second home run Miller had allowed on a fastball to a lefty in the last three seasons. It was the only run scored in the game as the Yankees won 1–0. In the postseason, Bird slashed .244/.426/.512 with three home runs and 6 RBIs; he was also thrown out at home plate twice.