TAMPA — When Greg Bird’s name was included in the second group of Friday’s batting practice on Field 2, it was an indication that his right elbow was healthy enough to swing a bat.
Then, standing at his locker before the Yankees hosted the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday evening, Bird said he wasn’t taking batting practice.
The immediate reaction was that his elbow somehow wasn’t ready to go, even though a CT-scan didn’t show any structural damage to the joint after being hit by a pitch Wednesday in West Palm Beach led to his being yanked from the lineup the next day in Jupiter.