The wait is almost over for the long-anticipated return of first baseman Greg Bird to the New York Yankees' lineup.
Manager Aaron Boone said Bird will probably play in Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels.
"The plan right right now is for Bird likely to be activated on Saturday," Boone told WFAN's Mike Francesa. "That's obviously something we're still working through, but right now I would expect that, assuming everything goes according to plan over the next couple days, he would be ready to go for us on Saturday."
Bird hasn't appeared in a regular-season game for the Yankees this season after undergoing ankle surgery in March.
The powerful 25-year-old began a rehab assignment on May 10. He's homered in two of his last four games, which included a 1-for-5 performance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
In 94 regular-season games, Bird owns a .227/.316/.477 slash line with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs.
