Yankees call up 1B Mike Ford, place Greg Bird on the IL with plantar fascia tear

The Yankees announced prior to tonight’s game against the Red Sox that Greg Bird has been placed on the IL with a left plantar fascia tear and 1B Mike Ford has been called up to the big league roster.

Another year another injury for Greg Bird. This marks the fourth year in a row Bird has landed on the IL with some sort of injury and considering how much he’s struggled even when he has been healthy it wouldn’t surprise me if Sunday was the last time we see him in a Yankees uniform.

Bird is now the 12th Yankee currently on the IL which leads Major League baseball. It’s hard to remember a team that has ever been ravaged by so many injuries this early in the season, but with Bird out at least his injury will open up an opportunity for Ford. The 26-year-old has yet to make his major league debut, but with Bird out for the foreseeable future, he’s certainly going to get some chances to make a strong first impression.

Down at Triple-A Scranton Ford had gotten off to an outstanding start and is very deserving of his first big league call-up. In 10 games with the RailRiders, he’s hit .419 with 5 HR, 10 RBI and an OPS of 1.364. 10 games is a small sample size, but you could make the case that a healthy Ford is an upgrade for this Yankee lineup because Bird hasn’t done much at all at the plate up to this point.

Ford is a left-handed hitter with power and a good eye which is something the Yankees desperately need with both Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius sidelined due to injury. The offense in general needs all the help they can get so hopefully Ford can carry over his success at Triple-A to the Bronx and take advantage of the short porch in right field this week.

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With Chris Sale on the mound for Boston tonight I doubt we’ll see Ford in the lineup against one of the games most dominant southpaws. However, with Nate Eovaldi going on Wenedesay there’s a good chance we’ll see him debut then.

The Yankees don’t have many options right now at DH between Tyler Wade, Mike Tauchman and their two catchers so hopefully Ford can get off to a hot start and earn consistent playing time. Luke Voit is going to continue to play every day regardless of his position but if Ford produces than Aaron Boone can put him at first base and make Voit the primary DH.

As for Greg Bird despite all the struggles he’s endured over the past couple seasons you can’t help but feel bad for the guy after this latest injury. The future once looked so bright for him and this past spring he looked like he was finally 100% healthy and ready to really make an impact.

Yankee fans love to hate on Bird which is a shame because injuries really aren’t something you can control. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope that when he returns he can find success whether that’s in a Yankee uniform or not.