New York Yankees' Greg Bird bats against the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training baseball game, Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Yankees first baseman, a Grandview High School grad, will undergo surgery on his ankle and miss the next six weeks the team announced on July 17, 2017. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

MINNEAPOLIS | New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will have ankle surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the next six weeks.

After a strong spring training, Bird hit just .100 with one home run in 19 games to start the season. The graduate of Aurora’s Grandview High School was placed on the disabled list on May 2 with a bone bruise on his right ankle. After one rehab assignment was shut down when the pain resurfaced, Bird visited several doctors to determine a course of treatment.

Bird missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says the team is hopeful he could return to the field in September.

Dr. Martin O’Malley will perform the surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor and photographer with Sentinel Colorado. A Denver East High School and University of Colorado alum. He came to the Sentinel in 2001 and since then has received a number...