Not even 24 hours after clinching a trip to the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees received a rather interesting injury update.
When speaking to reporters on Tuesday, outfielder Aaron Hicks stated that he is ready to return to the Yankees. The 30-year-old has not played in a game since August 4 due to an elbow injury.
#Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks says he's healthy and ready to play in the ALCS if needed. https://t.co/vhAtvygYpj pic.twitter.com/0GJnjlWVOE
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 8, 2019
This offseason, the Yankees signed Hicks to a seven-year, $70M dollar extension. He was expected to be an important piece to this Yankees team that has championship aspirations.
However, that hasn’t been the case, as Hicks has dealt with multiple injuries this season. Over the span of the 2019 season, Hicks has appeared in just 59 games. In his 255 plate appearances, the switch-hitting outfielder has posted a slash line of .235/.325/.443.
Hicks states that he is ready to go, however, will the Yankees place him on their championship series roster? This is going to be a tough decision for manager Aaron Boone and the front office, as they decide if Hicks is a better option at this point in time.
You could make the case for both scenarios.
With the way the Yankees have played recently, you could always stick with the “don’t fix it if it isn’t broken” motto. The Yankees have a surplus of outfielders who have contributed recently, and could elect to stick with them for this upcoming series.
If the Yankees feel that Hicks is truly ready to go, they could decide to activate him and use him right away. This would cause a tricky scenario, as the Yankees would have an “odd-man out” in their outfield.
With Edwin Encarnacion handling the designated hitter duties, the Bronx Bombers will have to use Giancarlo Stanton in left field. This would mean that the club would have to decide between Hicks and Brett Gardner in center field, which would be a tough decision considering what Gardner has brought to the table this season.
All I could say is… I’m glad I don’t have to make this decision. Over the next few days, it will be interesting which route the Yankees decide to take.
Until then, we wait!
