NEW YORK -- Yankees first base prospect Greg Bird will have right shoulder surgery Tuesday and will miss the entire 2016 season, the team announced.
The Yankees said Monday that Bird's torn labrum will be repaired by Dr. David Altchek at The Hospital for Special Surgery. The team said the injury is a reoccurrence of one originally sustained last May.
A source told ESPN's Buster Olney that it's not out of the realm of possibility that Bird could return by the end of the 2016 season, but that scenario would be very unlikely.
Bird, who turned 23 in November, made his big league debut on Aug. 13 and took over at first base when Mark Teixeira got hurt. Bird hit .261 with 11 homers, 31 RBI and nine doubles in 157 at-bats and had been viewed as protection against injuries to the oft-hurt Teixeira, who is entering the final season of his contract.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
