Yankees Demote Struggling Reliever Acquired at Deadline

In a move that highlights their ongoing roster shuffling, the New York Yankees have decided to option reliever Jake Bird to their Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This decision comes just weeks after the Yankees acquired Bird from the Colorado Rockies at the MLB trade deadline.

Bird's tenure with the Yankees has been nothing short of disastrous so far. In his three appearances since joining the team, he has allowed seven runs, six of them earned, in a mere two innings of work. This includes a nightmarish debut on Friday night in Miami, where Bird was part of a new trio of relievers that surrendered nine runs in a 13-12 loss to the Marlins. Bird then compounded his struggles by giving up a three-run walk-off home run to the Texas Rangers' Josh Jung on Monday, handing the Yankees a gut-wrenching 8-5 defeat.

Despite his solid performance with the Rockies earlier this season, posting a 4.73 ERA in 45 games, Bird has simply been unable to find his footing with the Yankees. With the team currently mired in a four-game losing streak, the decision to send him down to the minors is likely an attempt to allow him to work on his issues away from the bright lights of the Bronx.

On a more positive note, the Yankees are expected to activate their star player, Aaron Judge, from the injured list on Tuesday as they take on the Texas Rangers. Judge's return should provide a much-needed boost to the team's lineup as they look to turn things around and get back on track.