The Capitales de Québec just struck a blow by signing former New York Yankees player Greg Bird on Sunday.
The 30-year-old American has already hit 32 home runs in Major League Baseball. He also got off to a promising start with the Yankees in 2015, hitting 11 long balls in just 46 games. Despite various injuries, Bird played part-time with the New York club until 2019. Last year he played 59 games for the Yankees varsity club at the AAA level.
This acquisition comes after a knee injury suffered by Quebec outfielder Marc-Antoine Lebreux.
“It’s not ideal to lose a key player like Marc-Antoine in the final stretch of the season, but the signing of Greg is still interesting,” Capitals manager Patrick Scalabrini said in a press release. He’s a guy who’s played at the highest level and is relatively young at 30. He will add depth to our squad.”
In addition to playing as an outfielder, Bird could be used as a preferred hitter.
Hot battle in the rankings
Midway through the playoffs, the Capitals (52-30) battle the New Jersey Jackals for the top spot in the Frontier League East.
On Monday off, the Quebec team will begin a three-game away streak with Bird starting Tuesday with a visit to the Tri-City Valley Cats. The Capitals then travel to New Jersey for three games against the Sussex Country Miners before returning home to wrap up their regular season.