Yankees' Answer to Jake Bird Problem Is Right in Front of Them

It's time to make a call to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

New York Yankees reliever Jake Bird has given the club plenty of reasons to seek a replacement early this season. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Yankees failed to sweep the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon, suffering a 3-0 shutout loss at Globe Life Field. A lack of offense (only five hits) played a key role in New York's 11th loss of the season, as did another frustrating performance from veteran reliever Jake Bird.

After retiring two batters in the sixth inning, Bird opened the seventh by surrendering back-to-back hits. Texas second baseman Ezequiel Duran doubled off a 94 mph sinker before outfielder Sam Haggerty drove him home with a single, giving the Rangers a three-run lead that was too much for the Yanks to overcome. Bird faced just one more batter before being replaced by Tim Hill.

It'd be one thing if it were a one-off performance, but frustrating outings are the norm for Bird this season. The 30-year-old righty has pitched to a 13.50 ERA with seven earned runs and 10 hits allowed in his last six games (4 2/3 innings), which is a stretch where he was credited with two losses—including a blown save. He's also allowing career-worsts in batting average (.297) and slugging percentage (.459) to opposing batters all season.

It's time for the Yankees to cut their losses and move on from Bird if they want their bullpen to reach its full potential. Even if it's still "early" in the year, he already showed a glimpse of who he is when he allowed six earned runs and two homers in only two innings with the Bronx Bombers last year.

Fortunately, a solution to the Yankees' problem is already within the system.

Yankees should replace Jake Bird with Yovanny Cruz in bullpen

The Yankees clearly can't trust Bird out of the bullpen anymore, so it's time for manager Aaron Boone to get creative and see what sticks. He has the perfect opportunity to do so by calling up right-handed relief pitcher Yovanny Cruz from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

After all, the 26-year-old Dominican hurler has more than proved that he deserves the opportunity.

The Yankees should call up minor-league pitcher Yovanny Cruz to help move on from Bird. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Cruz is on fire with the RailRiders, going 4-0 through his first nine relief appearances. He's allowed only one earned run on five hits while striking out 17 batters in 11 innings, all while sitting at a 0.82 ERA. The 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings he averages is the highest rate at any level of his baseball career, making it intriguing to see how that will translate to the MLB level.

Cruz also pitches with heat, as he hit 100 mph multiple times against the Buffalo Bisons earlier this week. That's the type of threat that the Yankees' bullpen needs. The unit is slowly improving as the season progresses, and adding Cruz would help accelerate that progress, giving Boone & Co. another setup man to consider before Bednar comes in to close the game.

The Yankees don't have Cruz on the 40-man roster, but that can change by designating Bird for assignment.

Bird had his flashes throughout the last two seasons, but those instances were too few and far between. Perhaps the Yankees shouldn't trade with the Colorado Rockies anymore, given how the Ryan McMahon deal has panned out. Either way, he's proven time and time again that New York can't trust him in high-pressure situations, so there's no sense in dragging out this failed partnership.

The best time to turn the page was yesterday, and the next-best time is now. It's time to promote Cruz and turn the page on an underperforming veteran, killing two birds with one stone.