The New York Yankees have optioned right-handed reliever Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, just five days after acquiring him from the Colorado Rockies before the Trade Deadline.
Bird struggled in his first outings with New York, allowing seven runs (six earned) over two innings in three appearances. His debut on Friday included giving up a grand slam to Miami’s Kyle Stowers during a 13-12 loss. On Monday, Bird took the loss against Texas after surrendering a walk-off three-run homer to Josh Jung, marking the Yankees’ fourth consecutive defeat.
Prior to joining the Yankees, Bird had pitched frequently for Colorado this season. He made 45 appearances and posted a 4.73 ERA across 53 1/3 innings. Entering Tuesday, his total of 55 1/3 innings was seventh most among Major League relievers. However, his recent performance has declined significantly, with a 24.43 ERA over his last ten outings.
Manager Aaron Boone commented on the move: “We still think really highly of him, and think he’s not only going to help us this year in the short term, but certainly in the long term, too,” Boone said. “So hopefully, this is something that does give him that little bit of a reset, get him more kind of structured outings and things like that.”
The bullpen’s difficulties have reflected broader issues for New York’s relief corps. The group has recorded a 6.75 ERA so far this month and a 6.13 ERA since early July—second worst in Major League Baseball behind only Colorado’s bullpen.
After leading their division at the start of July, the Yankees have dropped to third place and now trail Toronto by five and a half games. Since July began, they have gone 12-17 for a .414 winning percentage.
Tuesday’s roster changes also included activating Aaron Judge and Mark Leiter Jr., while Austin Slater was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
