Greg Bird To Undergo Ankle Surgery

TODAY: Bird released a statement through his agent, saying that he is hopeful that the procedure will finally resolve what had been an “increasingly frustrating” situation with his ankle. He also expressed a determination to return to the majors this season.

YESTERDAY: Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will undergo surgery on his right ankle, manager Joe Girardi told reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). Per the skipper, Bird will be down for at least six weeks while recovering, but it isn’t clear just how soon he’ll again represent an option at the major league level.

While the news isn’t promising for New York, it had been anticipated by this point. Bird has struggled with ongoing ankle issues for much of the year, and was recently diagnosed with os trigonum syndrome. The organization will obviously take the long view here and hope the young slugger can fully put the ankle woes behind him.

Notably, the 24-year-old will continue accruing MLB service time for the duration of his DL stint — as he has been all year. He will have over two full years of service on his ledger at season’s end, even though he has played in just 65 total games in the majors.