Is Greg Bird really the Yankees future first baseman? It’s hard to tell.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Aaron Judge
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Aaron Judge /
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There hasn’t been a whole lot of good news for Greg Bird this season. For the past two days, though, Bird has worked out with the Yankees advanced rookie level Staten Island team.

While 24-year-old Greg Bird may still very well be the future at first base for the Yankees, is it even fair to label him as the team’s starter at the position?

After missing the entire 2016 season due to a shoulder surgery, the Colorado native has spent more than two months on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his right ankle. In the 19 games, he did play this season; Bird struggled mightily — hitting .100 with one home run, three RBI and 22 strikeouts in 60 at-bats.

The fact that the team is so dependent on Bird’s healthy return to the major league lineup is two-fold.

For one, his heroic replacement of Mark Teixeira during the 2015 season is still very much in our consciousness. Throw in the fact that he absolutely mashed just this past Spring Training and it’s enough to keep the hope alive that the organization doesn’t need to look outside for a likely higher priced alternative.

On the other hand, the dearth of viable secondary options within the club is just as paramount to the situation.

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Signing free agent Chris Carter was an epic fail. Tyler Austin, who holds a bit of promise himself can’t stay off the DL. Rob Refsnyder doesn’t do any one thing well enough to warrant much playing time. And Triple-A semi-prospect Mike Ford has just begun to hit for power this season, so it’s likely the organization will need to see some consistency before contemplating a potential call up.

So where does that leave us? Right back to square one, that’s where.

The fact we have to get excited that Bird has taken batting practice two days in a row without further injury is now noteworthy. It’s a harsh reality.

Instead of opting for exploratory surgery, which Brian Cashman raised as an option just 10 days ago, Bird is taking part in baseball activities and has even spoken about the possibility of heading out on a rehab assignment — though, no timetable has been established.

For the time being, the Yankees will ride with Ji-Man Choi as their first base flavor of the day. The 26-year-old from South Korea has shown solid power, hitting two homers in only 11 at-bats.

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With only three weeks until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, it would be wonderful if Bird were to return to bigs to show that he is or isn’t ready to contribute this season. More importantly, we might finally get an idea if he’s the answer for 2018 and beyond.