Imagine a Yankee team without one big lefty slugger. Right now, that's us.

Greg Bird was going to shock the world this summer, just as he did Andrew Miller last October. He would bat third or fourth, up high, the big lefty bat sandwiched into a thicket of right-handed power. He would see meaty fastballs, like slabs of honey-glazed bacon in a breakfast buffet, and he would uphold a Yankee tradition dating back to Gehrig - including Chris, Donny, Tino, even Daryl Strawberry on occasion - the lefty power stroke at 1B. He was our secret sure thing. Nothing could stop it. 

And now, well, thank you, juju gods. Thank you, very much.

By now, you know that Bird has flown to Gotham for MRI and divining rod tests on the same barking ankle that sabotaged most of 2017, and if you want to inspire rank Yankee pessimism, all you need do is check Bird's personal history, which reads like the ship log for the Titanic. If Bird loses another year to injuries, he will make Jacoby Ellsbury look like Iron Man Joe McGinnity, morphing into the party guest who never arrives, the player who gives prospect-huggers a bad name on fan forums. Whenever an aging veteran pops up in future trade talks, angry fans will opine what the Yankees could have gotten, if only they were willing to trade Bird when his stock was high. His name will become shorthand for unseen potential. 

Last year, the Yankees waited three months for Bird to return, to be rewarded with a great young hitting first-baseman in September. But considering the team's plans to chase a championship in 2018, it's hard to imagine them waiting on Bird a second time. 

And right now, here are the candidates for first base:

1. Neil Walker, the recently signed free-agent. He's a switch-hitter. Last year, at age 31, he hit 14 HRs and batted .265. He gets on base. It's hard to see him playing 140 games at first, but he could serve as LH platoon with...

2. Tyler Austin, 26, a righty. Last year, sidelined by his own injuries, he did next to nothing in the majors, but at Scranton, he hit .275 with 10 HRs. On the day before Bird left for tests, Austin was optioned to Triple A. He's probably back on the beam. 

3. Mike Ford, 25, who was returned from Seattle yesterday, after being chosen last December in the Rule 5 draft. He was hitting .259 with 2 HRs this spring, but was blown out by another guy in the competition for first-base. Last year, at Trenton, he hit .272 with 13 HRs, and he's known for his discerning ability to draw walks. He bats LEFT... a perfect fit, except the Yankee coaches haven't had a good chance to assess him this spring.

4. Billy McKinney, 23, a converted corner outfielder, who also bats LEFT. He hit 5 HRs this spring, but his batting average fell to .171. He was never seriously considered a candidate for 1B, not enough experience there. Now, with Ford at Scranton, he will probably get pushed back into the Scranton outfield, where he is blocked by Clint Frazier. He increasingly looks like a trade chip. 

5. Miguel Andujar, the former future Yankee third-baseman, who now was supposed to be learning first-base at Scranton. With Ford and McKinney in the mix, I don't know how the Yankees will handle this. Maybe they can play two guys at first base, let them switch each inning!

6. Adam Lind, 34, whom the Yankees released a week ago. He bats left, and was blocked by Bird. They might bring him back?

Strange how the fates work. On the day Bird leaves, Ford returns, looking exactly like what they need. Yet the coaches didn't get to see him, so he's destined for Scranton, where everything already is clogged to the pores. 

But without Bird, the Yankees big lefty-hitter is Didi Gregorius. Suddenly, we can imagine Bronx weekends with RH-starters stacked against us. Can the Yankees win without a big lefty slugger? We might soon find out. With Bird, it's hard not to think the worst.