Yankees, Greg Bird Part Ways Again

The minor league first baseman was released on Wednesday.

Greg Bird’s second stint with the Yankees has come to an end.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, New York’s Triple-A affiliate, announced the first baseman’s release on Wednesday. Bird has spent the entire season with the RailRiders up to this point, struggling in his return to the Yankees’ organization after signing a minor league deal in early April.

Bird appeared in 59 games, hitting .218/.325/.354 with six home runs and 22 RBI.

The 29-year-old was originally drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round in 2011. Bird played parts of four big league seasons in the Bronx from 2015-2019. Originally considered a key member of the Baby Bomber core, persistent injuries limited Bird to just 186 games over that span. New York designated him for assignment on Nov. 20, 2019, and he became a free agent seven days later.

Bird’s biggest moment in pinstripes came during the 2017 ALDS, when he homered off Cleveland reliever Andrew Miller to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning of Game 3. Bird hit three longballs that October.

Bird has not played in the majors since 2019. He spent time with the Rangers, Phillies, Rockies and Blue Jays in between his time with the Yankees. Bird hit well for Colorado’s Triple-A squad last season, slashing .267/.362/.532 with 27 homers and 91 RBI, but he was unable to replicate that production with the RailRiders.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre also released catcher David Freitas on Wednesday. He was slashing .239/.310/.345.

Freitas, 33, has 59 games of major league experience. But with Ben Rortvedt rehabbing and Josh Breaux’s recent promotion, the veteran became the odd man out behind the plate.

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