Bird has allowed seven runs (six earned) in his first two innings with New York, spanning three appearances. He served up a grand slam to the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers in his Yankees debut on Friday as part of a stunning 13-12 loss.
Bird’s struggles with the Yankees are a microcosm of how their bullpen has struggled for an extended period. That group has recorded a 6.75 ERA this month and a 6.13 ERA since the beginning of July, which is the second-worst mark in the Majors, better only than the Rockies’ 7.24 bullpen ERA.
The Yankees were still in first place at the beginning of July. Now they sit in third, 5 1/2 games back of the Blue Jays. New York’s record since July 1 is 12-17, a .414 win percentage that’s tied for seventh lowest in MLB.
Bird’s demotion was part of a flurry of roster moves by the Yankees on Tuesday, which included Aaron Judge and Mark Leiter Jr. being activated and another Deadline addition, Austin Slater, going on the IL with a left hamstring strain.
