Yankees' Greg Bird to Undergo Ankle Surgery to Remove Bone Spur, Out 6-8 Weeks

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur from his right ankle and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, Jack Curry of YES Network reported Monday.

According to ESPN.com, "Bird was scratched from the starting lineup for a split-squad road game Saturday against Atlanta due to inflammation in his right foot. CT and MRI exams showed no structural damage, but he returned to New York for further evaluation, leading to the broken spur diagnosis."

It's a major blow for Bird, who played in just 48 games last season due to an ankle injury, hitting .190 with nine homers and 28 RBI. In 94 career games, he's hit just .227 but bashed 20 homers and 59 RBI. 

Bird, 25, is considered one of the Yankees' promising young cornerstones alongside Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. Add in veterans like Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius and Neil Walker, and the Yankees appear poised to have one of the most frightening lineups in baseball this season.

However, Bird's inability to stay on the field throughout his young career has become a concern.

"I think the biggest question is if this becomes a problem for the rest of the season or the rest of his career," former Yankees first baseman and current ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst Mark Teixeira said Monday, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. "Then you're really missing out on a really important talent and an important bat in that lineup. So I think Yankee fans are holding their breath right now."

"When you have one injury, you can brush it aside. Even two," he added. "But when things keep popping up over and over again [and] they become an issue, it seems, over and over again, you start worrying."

The team can turn to Tyler Austin and Neil Walker to handle first base duties while Bird recovers, so his short-term absence shouldn't affect the team's high expectations. The bigger concern is Bird's long-term health, though.