Gary Sanchez bound for DL with biceps strain; Greg Bird (foot) to sit

They're just five games into the season, and the New York Yankees are already battling the injury bug.

On Sunday, catcher Gary Sanchez was placed on the 10-day disabled list afterstraining his right biceps during his follow-through on a swing Saturday atBaltimore. The team announced on Monday that he would be sidelined four weeks.

Sanchez grimaced after fouling off a 3-2 97 mph fastball from Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausmanin the fifth inning, prompting a visit from Yankees trainers. Sanchez was removed from the game and replaced by backup catcher Austin Romine, who finished the plate appearance with a walk.

"I felt kind of like a pull when I had that swing when I fouled the ball off. I did not feel it on any other swing -- just on that foul off the high fastball," Sanchez told ESPN's Marly Rivera. "I felt like I pulled it right there. I tried to swing, and I felt it again, and they took me out of the game."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Sunday that Kyle Higashioka would be called up Sunday to fill Sanchez's roster spot.

"It's an opportunity for other guys to step up. Romine and Higgy are going to have to step up in his absence," Girardi said. "It's not what you want to see. The kid's very talented and has done some really good things in his short career, but the other guys get an opportunity now."

Girardi said pregame that first baseman Greg Bird would be given at least two games off -- including Saturday -- due to lingering soreness in his right foot.

Bird is still feeling the effects of an injury suffered during the Yankees' last spring training game March 30, when he fouled a ball off his right foot. The team announced that Bird saw an Orioles team physician earlier Saturday, and the doctor felt no CT scan was necessary on the foot.

"I'd say our concern is low," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of Bird. "He's just somebody that's beat up."

After leading the team with eight home runs and a .451 batting average in spring training, Bird has struggled since the start of the regular season, going 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts. He missed all of 2016 because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Information from ESPN's Marly Rivera and The Associated Press was used in this report.