What It Means:

With both Bird and Starlin Castro set for a return, Bird is the more likely of the two to do so ahead of Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners. If he does, and gets the start, he could force Garrett Cooper or Chase Headley to the bench for the time being.

Over 29 plate appearances, Bird has gone 9-for-24 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI in his rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Upon his return, our models project the 24-year-old for 6 hits, 4 walks and 3 RBI over 34 plate appearances the rest of the season.