Relax, New York Yankees fans. Aaron Hicks and his tight hamstring won’t be in the lineup for a few days, but he’ll be back before October.
New York Yankees centerfielder Aaron Hicks left Monday night’s game in Tampa with tightness in his left hamstring, but according to the switch-hitter and his manager, it’s not too serious.
“I’ve been doing maintenance on it for about three days now,” Hicks told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “I’m not too concerned. In a day or two, I should be good and ready to go.”
Aaron Boone said the Yankees “dodged a bullet” and that Hicks is resting because the team just “didn’t want to risk anything.”
Aaron Boone: Good news on Aaron Hicks MRI. No tear. Still tight and will sit for a few days but “we feel like we dodged a bullet.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 25, 2018
If it were up to Hicks, he’d be playing through his pain. “I just want to be on the field grinding with my team,” and [now] I’ve got a nagging injury like this,” he said.
The Yankees are fighting to maintain a slim lead over the Oakland A’s for home field advantage in the Wild Card, so it could be tempting to rush Hicks back. However, making sure he’s ready for a playoff run is the greater priority.
The Yankees have dealt with a slew of injuries in 2018, losing star power like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Didi Gregorius for large chunks of time.
Now Gregorius is hurt again, with no guarantee of returning in time for the Wild Card Game. Losing Hicks as well would be a big blow to New York’s playoff hopes.
Didi Gregorius could potentially miss the rest of the 2018 season after suffering a wrist injury Saturday vs. Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/gQEYYkMv99
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 23, 2018
The value Hicks brings to the Yankees is sometimes lost in the shadow of his superstar teammates, but there’s no question they need him healthy.
It was Hicks who delivered a walk-off double to clinch a postseason berth, and a recent FiveThirtyEight article by Travis Sawchik even made the case for the Yankees keeping Hicks instead of signing Bryce Harper.
With Hicks out for a bit, Brett Gardner will have a chance to show Boone that he deserves a few starts in October.
