Tyler Austin’s dad takes shots at Yankees’ Greg Bird on Twitter

MIAMI– Yankees fans aren’t the only ones ripping first baseman Greg Bird on social media. Down in suburban Atlanta, Tyler Austin’s father has jumped aboard the bandwagon, too. Why Stanton really wants home run vs. Marlins Acting like he’s mad that the Yankees stuck with Bird over his son, who was traded to the Minnesota Twins on July 30, Chris…

MIAMI— Yankees fans aren’t the only ones ripping first baseman Greg Bird on social media.

Down in suburban Atlanta, Tyler Austin’s father has jumped aboard the bandwagon, too.

Why Stanton really wants home run vs. Marlins

Acting like he’s mad that the Yankees stuck with Bird over his son, who was traded to the Minnesota Twins on July 30, Chris Austin sounded off on Twitter.

On Aug. 18, the elder Austin tweeted, “Tyler has more hits with the twins in a week than bird has in a month with the Yankees.”

When Tyler Austin homered in his Twins debut a week earlier, his father tweeted, “18 homerun for Tyler on the year but bird is the word.”

Chris Austin has since deleted the tweets, which were filled with grammatical errors, but his facts were accurate:

His son has been more productive this season than Bird.

Austin, who now is up to 20 homers for the season counting his almost two months in Triple-A, is hitting .250 with 11 homers and 29 RBI in 148 at-bats over 42 big-league games with the Yankees and Twins.

Bird homered in his last two games – he hit a grand slam in Sunday’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays – but is hitting .211 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 237 at-bats over 70 games.

At the start of the 2018 season, Austin was one of the most productive rookies in the majors while Bird was on the disabled list recovering from March ankle surgery.

While slumping, Austin was optioned to Triple-A shortly after Bird returned on May 26.

Bird mostly has slumped, and that’s led to a lot of criticism on social media from Yankees fans. Before Austin’s trade to the Twins, some called for the right-handed hitter to start ahead of the left-handed-hitting Bird or be in a platoon.

The Yankees dealt Austin and minor-league pitcher Luis Rijo to Minnesota for veteran right-hander Lance Lynn.

Both clubs already have benefitted.

While Lynn is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in four games, three as a starter, pitching for the Yankees, Austin is hitting .370 (10-for-27) with three homers and six RBI in eight games with the Twins since a call-up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 10.

Austin, 26, and Bird, 25, were teammates with the Yankees and in the minors after joining the organization a year apart. Austin was drafted by the Yankees in the 13th round in 2010, while Bird was picked in the fifth round in 2011.

What’s surprising about this ranting by Chris Austin is that he called out complaining Yankees fans on June 7, a time in which his son and Bird were struggling.

“I am a Atlanta braves fan yes my son is on the Yankees,” Austin wrote in a tweet. “You will never here [sic] me bitch about a player that is not doing well. All these Yankees fans bitching about a player that is not doing well need to chill out they will come around. Sit back and watch a great Yankees game.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.