First baseman Greg Bird cleared waivers and is now a free agent, the Yankees said on Wednesday.

Bird was designated for assignment a week ago, and chose free agency rather than an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The 27-year-old left-handed hitter showed flashes of his slugging talent as a rookie in 2015 and down the stretch and into the postseason in '17. But a slew of injuries derailed his Yankees tenure.

Bird has never played more than 82 games in a season -- that was in 2018, when he hit .199 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. He was limited to just 10 games this year due to a left plantar fascia tear, hitting .171 with a single homer.

"He's got a great swing if he can stay healthy," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said earlier this month. "We all know what he's capable of doing, but unfortunately we haven't had a chance to unwrap that present because the injuries have just piled up."