Chad Jennings

cjennings@lohud.com

Six weeks after shoulder surgery ended his season before it began, Yankees first baseman Greg Bird was scheduled to be back in New York today for a routine checkup to confirm what seems to be steady progress.

“I’m just making sure my shoulder is feeling better, one day at a time, really,” Bird said. “They told me I’m out (for the year), and this is out of my control. It’s not like a pulled hamstring or something. It’s nothing to mess with. You don’t want to be stupid with it. Have to be patient with it. That’s the key to it.”

From his corner locker in the Yankees’ clubhouse, Bird has watched friends and teammates go to the batting cage and suit up for exhibition games. He’s smiled and laughed and made jokes, still fitting seamlessly into the culture.

But his daily drills are a long way from a bat and ball.

“I can put my clothes on,” he said, touting a fairly recent accomplishment.

Recovery from a torn labrum started with his right arm in a sling. Those were the days his shoulder got achy from a total lack of movement.

Up next were range of motion exercises, with a doctor literally pulling his arm one direction or another. Those exercises are ongoing.

At this point, though, Bird has added what’s called “muscle activation,” which means moving his arm on his own. No weights. No resistance. Just a professional athlete, strong enough to hit 11 home runs in 46 Major League games last season, raising his arm up and down or moving it side to side.

“No, it doesn’t feel silly, because it’s hard to do,” he said. “It’s just different feeling, and it’s gotten better. It’s more and more normal every day as far as just walking around and lifting my arm up. It’s a weird feeling. It’s hard to explain, but I can’t complain.”

And Bird doesn’t complain, at least not that any outside observer would notice. His personality has remained engaging and welcoming since he reported to Yankees camp with the rest of the position players.

“I think the hardest thing for players when you go through surgery is when you're not around,” manager Joe Girardi said. “For all their lives, they've been part of something, a team. … I think it's really important for him to be here just for his psyche.

There has been some speculation that Bird could possibly play again this season with an extreme best-case scenario, but Bird said the thought hasn’t crossed his mind. There are too many steps between now and then.

Has the process been more frustrating than he expected? Less frustrating?

Bird paused a long time before answering.

“There are certain aspects that are more, and there are certain aspects that are less,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect, so it’s all a learning experience. Talking to some guys who have had it, though, it just sounds like there’s a lot of good days, but there are going to be bad days mixed in. That’s just how it works.”

Obviously, things could be better. But, certainly, things could be worse.

“I think I’m right where I need to be,” he said. "… It’s come a long way already.”