Yankees’ Jake Bird ready to reintroduce himself

TAMPA — Jake Bird is well aware he made a bad first impression with the Yankees.

It was actually disastrous, as the reliever played a significant role in two quick losses after being traded by the Rockies on July 31 of last year. The first came on August 1, when Bird recorded just one out while allowing a grand slam in his Yankees debut in Miami. Then, after bouncing back for a scoreless inning on August 2, the right-hander gave up a home run against the Rangers in Texas on August 4.

The next day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A. He spent the rest of the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“Obviously it didn’t go very well,” Bird said.

Now, Bird is in Yankees camp trying to prove he deserves a spot in the bullpen.

He showed glimpses of it last season, posting a 1.41 ERA with 50 strikeouts over his first 38.1 innings with the Rockies. But his Denver career ended much like his Yankees career began, as Bird allowed 22 earned runs in his final 15 innings for Colorado.

“It was a really strange change in performance level, really quick, and I was kind of trying to figure it out,” Bird said. “I couldn’t really do it.”

Aaron Boone recently said the Rockies “overworked” Bird, contributing to his struggles before and after the trade. There’s something to that, as the pitcher totaled 53.1 innings and 45 games before being dealt, as well as 16 appearances exceeding one inning.

“He probably had some wear and tear in the middle of the season that took its toll,” Boone said. “He was used a lot in that first half in Colorado.”

Bird wouldn’t say for sure whether his usage sabotaged the start of his tenure with the Yankees, but he found some positives in the nightmarish introduction.

The 30-year-old said the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and being demoted in less than a week — taught him a lot about himself. The Yankees pitching department, meanwhile, helped Bird better understand his body, his genius mechanics and his arsenal after leaving the not-so-analytically inclined Rockies.

A look at Jake Bird’s genius mechanics and Oswaldo Cabrera’s successful challenge on referee Aaron Boone. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/cQN8ew9cc3

-Gary Phillips (@GaryHPillips) February 16, 2026

That education included an overhaul of Bird’s cutter after his demotion, which he showed off by totaling 15 pitches, a hit and a strikeout in a scoreless inning in the Yankees’ spring training opener Friday.

Bird said he changed the shape of the land to get more drive. He also added some speed to make it better resemble the speed of his four-seam fastball before swinging at hitters, especially lefties.

Those adjustments produced a cutter who had a Whiff% of 41.2 at Triple-A last year.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said Bird also adjusted his sinker profile.

Add those changes to a sweeper (33.8%), curveball (38%) and heater (50%) that already had high whiff rates, and the Yankees have reason to believe Bird can be a weapon for them in 2026 if he improves his command.

“I think he has a chance to play a really meaningful role for us,” Boone said, adding that “things are nasty.”

That said, Bird is not a lock to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. He has a minor league option, giving pinstripers some flexibility and plenty of competition in a bullpen that has two open spots and few sureties. Other candidates for these jobs include, but are not limited to, Brent Headrick, Angel Chivilli, Yerry De los Santos, and Cade Winquest.

But Bird, still waiting to pitch at Yankee Stadium for the first time, believes he’s in a much better position than he was after last summer’s trade. He can’t wait to prove it not only to the Yankees, but also to their fans.

“I feel like I can really flip that scenario and get some ideas on how to keep it going for a full 162 games, plus in October,” Bird said, nodding to his heavy workload at Colorado. “I hope they get to know me a lot this year and progress over the next few years.

“I hope everything is okay.”