Bird’s right foot-the same foot that cost him most of last year- is mysteriously inflamed. In retrospect, the Yankees should’ve prepared for this as an inevitability. While it must be incredibly frustrating for Bird himself, the team just can’t rely on him to play 150+ games in the field. They haven’t announced yet whether or not he’ll start the season on the DL. Even if he returns to action in time for Opening Day, there’s at least a reasonable chance he’ll miss time at some point during the season. Should that happen, here’s where the Yankees will turn for a first baseman, in order of likelihood.

Neil Walker

Other than Bird, there will probably be only four players on the 25 man roster with any first base experience whatsoever. Brandon Drury played one inning at the position in 2013, and Gary Sanchez spent three innings there last year. Both have starting jobs elsewhere and almost certainly won’t be moved to first. Austin Romine barely hits enough to keep his job as a backup catcher, so even though he’s played 20 games at first base, he’s unpalatable as a long-term option. That leaves the most recent Yankee acquisition: Neil Walker

Walker is a 9-year MLB veteran who played second base almost exclusively from 2009-2016. His calling card is offense, and he brings a career 114 wRC+ into this season. He’s never been particularly adept at his natural position, posting -16 DRS and -23.5 UZR for his career. At age 32, he’s more likely to regress than progress, and frankly, he can’t afford to lose any range and stay up the middle. Last year, while playing for the Mets and Brewers, he was asked to spend some time at first base as well as third. Transitioning to the corners may be the key to extending his career into his mid-30s.

There’s another reason why Walker is the best backup first base candidate: Tyler Wade. Improbably, Wade beat out top prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar for a spot on the major league roster when the Yankees break camp. The fleet middle infielder impressed the coaching staff with his superior speed and defense. He’s no slouch at the plate either, batting .310/.382/.460 in AAA last year and has a .404 OBP in Spring Training. Manager Aaron Boone already announced plans to use Wade concurrently with Walker at second base, so if the latter moves over to first, there’s an in-house replacement at second.

Tyler Austin

Remember when Tyler Austin was a top prospect? Along with Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott, the Yankee outfield of the future never really materialized. Of the three former can’t-miss stars, Austin has the brightest future remaining. After moving to first base, he finally conquered the high minors in 2016, only to get hurt for most of last season (along with everyone else on the first base depth chart).

At age 26, Austin has nothing left to prove in the minors. He hasn’t hit much in the big leagues so far- just .236/.294/.447 through 136 PA, but the power is real. He’s crushed 4 HR and 2 2B this spring, so his bat looks pretty hot at the moment. If the Yankees aren’t comfortable with Walker at first base, or if Wade fails to hit, Austin will get the first call from the minors (assuming he doesn’t make the team out of Spring Training).

Miguel Andujar

What if the third baseman of the future isn’t a third baseman? Miguel Andujar posted a .850 OPS in AA and AAA last year and shot up the prospect charts this offseason. He followed that up with 7 XBH this spring. No one questions his ability to hit, nor the major league readiness of his bat. The Yankees even felt comfortable enough with him that they traded away Chase Headley before they had other third base alternatives (they’ve since added Drury and Walker, of course).

Most of the time, when a team sends a player down to “work on his defense,” it’s a euphemism for “we’re playing games with his service time.” (See Acuna, Ronald.) However, in the case of Andujar, they might be telling the truth. According to Jarrett Seidler in the Yankees BP Prospect Rankings, “The plus arm strength plays down because it isn’t paired with stellar accuracy. His hands aren’t great, and he doesn’t always make the best of choices on how to play the ball at third, which has led the Yankees to talk about exposing him to other positions, most likely first base.”

It’s too soon to give up on Andujar at the hot corner, so the Yankees aren’t likely to move him to first just yet. However, if Bird misses significant time again and can no longer be trusted with a starting job, Andujar’s future might be at the cold corner instead.

Other Options

The Yankees have two more imperfect options to fill a first base void. There’s Billy McKinney, who is on the 40 man roster but not really a first baseman. There’s also recent Rule V Draft returnee Mike Ford, who is not on the 40 man roster but is a real first baseman. Both showed the ability hit for some power and drew a few walks in the minors as well as Spring Training (though Ford was at the Mariners’ camp). Neither are exciting options at the moment, but if they get hot in the minor leagues, you never know what can happen.

In the event of a significant injury to Bird, perhaps the most likely outcome of all is that the Yankees go outside the organization. GM Brian Cashman still has some room under the $197 million luxury tax threshold as well as an overstocked farm system. Rather than suffer a war of attrition at first base for the second year in a row (third if you count Mark Teixeira’s final season), look for a major acquisition if things get desperate.

Photo credit: Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

Even with exodus, several players are still unprotected. Here are the best of them:

• 1B Mike Ford
• 1B Ryan McBroom
• UT Abiatal Avelino
• LHP Nestor Cortes
• RHP Erik Swanson
• RHP Nick Green
• RHP J.P. Feyereisen
• LHP Stephen Tarpley
• RHP Jordan Foley
• RHP Raynel Espinal
• RHP Jose Mesa

Let’s start with the position players. No one is going to miss McBroom or Avelino. Mike Ford, on the other hand, could be a big loss. Ford hit .270/.404/.471 between Double-A and Triple-A, with phenomenal 14% strikeout rate and 16% walk rate. Ford has a long history in the minors of hitting well, but added power to his game for the first time in 2017 while playing in a very tough Double-A ballpark for power hitters. For some reason, the Yankees opted for Garrett Cooper and Ji Man Choi over Ford when they desperately needed bodies at 1b/DH this summer. Maybe they know something we don’t. The stat line suggests Ford could be a very good major league hitter. Some club will claim him and give him a chance to prove it next season.

We can divide the pitchers into roughly two groups. Swanson and Feyereisen are both high-minors relief pitchers who were a notch below the cut to make the Yankees 40-man roster (and below the players worth trading for some return). The Rule V draft is designed to benefit guys like these two, and they will likely get claimed by some major league team looking for the next Nick Goody. The Yankees lose a few of these guys every year, and that’s fine.

The second group is more interesting. Espinal, Green, Foley, Tarpley, and Mesa were all standout performers in the low minor leagues this season. Tarpley is a lefty and will be given a chance by some team to make the roster out of Spring Training. The others are strikeout righties who some team might want to take a chance on but probably won’t stick with the team all season. Think Ivan Nova.

Overall, the Yankees limited the damage by freeing up roster spots through trades. Just one month ago it looked like the Yankees would have to leave players like McKinney, Cave, and Estrada unprotected. They even found room for Loaisiga, whom most of us are learning about for the first time. Good job, Cashman.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports