The Yankees fans are convinced that Aaron Hicks and their good fortunes are away apart. A day after hitting his first home run of the season at Yankee Stadium, the left fielder suffered a hip injury and had to leave the game on Tuesday night.
Aaron Hicks had recently secured his first and second extra-base hits of the season in the past two games that changed jeers by Yankees fans to cheers. However, he exited the Yankees’ 10-5 victory against the Athletics due to left hip tightness before the fourth inning. The Yankees’ center fielder also gave a blow to the Rays, who will be in New York for a series starting from Thursday.
Aaron Hicks suffers a blow
On Wednesday, Aaron Hicks will undergo an evaluation to determine his condition and whether he can play or not is uncertain and will depend on his daily assessment.
In the Yankees’ five-run third inning, Aaron Hicks began as the left fielder and received a walk, and scored a run. After scoring on an Anthony Rizzo single, he experienced tightness in his left hip while rounding third base, causing him to be removed from the game. As a result, Oswaldo Cabrera shifted from third base to left field and Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered the game as the third baseman.
“I was finally starting to slow the ball down,’’ Aaron Hicks said of the frustration of the timing of the injury. “My at-bats were a little more controlled. It definitely sucks to go backward.”
On Sunday, Aaron Hicks hit a double against Tampa Bay, and the following day, he hit his first home run of the year against Oakland. As a result of these performances, manager Aaron Boone decided to give Aaron Hicks a starting position in left field on Tuesday.
When asked about his decision to start Aaron Hicks in left field, Boone explained that it was based on a combination of factors, including matchups and Hicks’ recent improved performance at the plate. Boone and the Yankees had been optimistic that Aaron Hicks’ recent productive performances at the plate would relieve some of the pressure on him, as he has been struggling since the start of the current season following a terrible performance in 2022.
After struggling for an extended period, Aaron Hicks finally hit a home run in Monday’s game against the Athletics. The ball sailed high over the short porch and into the second deck on the right, measuring 393 feet. This was Aaron Hicks’ first home run in 227 days, with his previous one being hit on September 23, 2022. The hit proved to be decisive in the Yankees’ 7-2 victory over the struggling Athletics.
It seems that Aaron Hicks is starting to show improvement in his recent performances. His RBI double from the right side of the plate helped the Yankees to take an early lead against the Rays. However, despite his contribution, the team eventually lost in a heartbreaking walk-off defeat at Tropicana Field.. This was Aaron Hicks’ first extra-base hit of the season and his second RBI.
Despite his recent performance, Aaron Hicks’ batting average this season is still quite low at .153, and his wRC+ of 23 is among the lowest for players with over 60 plate appearances. Additionally, his OPS of .439 ranks fifth-worst in the league as of Tuesday.
Aaron Hicks gives a blow to the Rays
According to a report by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Garrett Cleavinger, a reliever for the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained an injury during a bizarre incident involving Aaron Hicks, the New York Yankees outfielder, in Sunday’s game at Tropicana Field. The injury is believed to be severe enough to end Cleavinger’s season.
In the 10th inning of Sunday’s game between the Yankees and Rays, a play occurred in which Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks was involved and resulted in a likely season-ending injury for Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger. The play happened when the game was tied at the seventh. Gleyber Torres hit a ground ball to the shortstop, and Hicks, who had been running, found himself trapped between third and home, leading to a rundown situation. A video of the play is available for fans to watch.
During the rundown, Aaron Hicks was trying to turn toward home plate while Cleavinger was running toward him, causing the Rays’ reliever to twist his body to avoid a collision. This resulted in an awkward landing, which may have caused a season-ending ACL injury for Cleavinger.
Over the past four seasons, Cleavinger appeared in 55 games and recorded a combined ERA of 3.52. He had a strikeout rate of 29.8% and a walk rate of 11%. During this current season, Cleavinger recorded an ERA of 3.00 and had a strikeout rate of 29.2% as well as a walk rate of 12.5%.
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