The New York Yankees desperately needed bullpen reinforcements at the trade deadline, and Jake Bird was supposed to help.
When they pried him from the Colorado Rockies on July 31, optimism briefly outweighed the risk of inconsistency.
Bird came over alongside Camilo Doval and David Bednar, giving the impression New York had overhauled its relief corps.
But while Bednar held steady and Doval stumbled, Bird’s struggles have been the most glaring and concerning of the trio.
His first two innings in pinstripes were a nightmare, yielding seven runs, six of them earned, before he was demoted.
Early Struggles Sent Bird Packing to Triple-A
The Yankees didn’t waste time making the call when Bird’s command completely unraveled in his first few appearances.
He was shipped to Triple-A Scranton on August 5, a move framed as a chance to regroup and reset mechanically.
On paper, the assignment was supposed to let Bird iron out his issues and regain his confidence on the mound.
Instead, it’s been a continuation of the same frustrating patterns that plagued him during his brief Yankees’ MLB career.
Rather than correcting course, Bird’s time in Scranton has only added fuel to doubts about his long-term viability.
The Numbers Paint a Troubling Picture
Bird has logged 11.1 innings in Triple-A, but the results haven’t offered much hope for a turnaround anytime soon.
He owns a 7.15 ERA and a 5.80 FIP, numbers that scream instability and inconsistency every time he takes the mound.
Even worse, he’s issuing 7.15 walks per nine innings, showing just how wild and unreliable his command has become.
Yes, he’s kept the ball in the yard and induced plenty of grounders, but that means little when he can’t throw strikes or fool hitters in the zone.
For a Yankees bullpen already leaking runs like a cracked dam, Bird currently looks more like a liability than a fix.
A Risk That Has Yet to Pay Off
When the Yankees acquired Bird, they believed a change of scenery might help him escape his Coors Field struggles.
His 4.73 ERA was high, but his 3.50 FIP with the Rockies hinted at potential if he could simply throw strikes more consistently in a new environment.
Instead, the move has so far resembled putting a fresh coat of paint on a structurally shaky house—it looks fine briefly.
Underneath, though, the same cracks have remained, leaving the Yankees wondering if they misread his fit in the Bronx.
Bird hasn’t come close to earning a serious look for the major league roster since that early August demotion.
What Needs to Change for Bird to Matter Again
Bird does possess intriguing raw tools, particularly his sweeper and curveball, which can both flash legitimate swing-and-miss bite.
The problem is everything else—his sinker is too hittable, his command is not top-notch, and his pitch mix might not be ideal.
Until those issues improve, every outing feels like a tightrope act, one wobble away from another implosion on the scoreboard.
The Yankees can’t afford more instability when every September game now carries playoff implications and tension is sky-high.
Maybe 2026 offers him a fresh reset, but for now, Bird looks miles away from being part of the solution in New York.
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