Aaron Hicks has not had the best start to the season and New York Yankees fans have taken notice. After Hicks was booed by the Yankees faithful, manager Aaron Boone stepped in to defend his outfielder.
Hicks got his second start of the season on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. He proceeded to go 0-for-3 with a strikeout as the Yankees fell 4-1. Fans rained down boos at Hicks during his poor performance. Boone heard them as well, but it doesn't think it'll affect the outfielder too much, via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
“Obviously, not the greatest reaction,” Boone said. “But you got to deal with it, fight through it. I don't think it had any effect on him.”
After Hicks struck out in the fifth inning, Boone was seen consoling him. Hicks was clearly upset, which contracts Boone's point about the struggles having no effect. However, that doesn't mean Boone has given up on Hicks. The manager simply wants to see Hicks fight through his down start to the year and return to form.
Unfortunately for both parties, Hicks' recent track record doesn't point to a turnaround in the near future. The outfielder appeared in 130 games in 2022, hitting just .216 with eight home runs and 40 RBI.
Aaron Hicks was benched for the first three games of 2023, before making starts on Monday and Tuesday. Still, the outfielder has yet to record a hit and has struck out twice.
If he wants to remain in the lineup, and silence the chorus of boos, Hicks will need to start performing. Aaron Boone has been able to get through the noise thus far. But if Hicks continues to struggle at the plate, that noise might become deafening.
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