For the New York Yankees, their path back to the playoffs looks to be pretty much set in stone, as they will most likely represent the American League East division in the postseason as the division winner. However, their depth has taken a big-time hit, and their 2020 outlook could be a bit light on starting outfielders.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who was diagnosed with a right flexor strain all the back on Aug. 3, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, according to manager Aaron Boone and the medical staff. Furthermore, his injury may be worse enough that Tommy John surgery may be required, which would put him on the shelf for the entirety of the 2020 season as well.
Hicks just signed a lucrative seven-year, $70 million contract extension with the Yankees this past offseason, and now injury issues seem to already be plaguing the outfielder. No stranger to committing big-time money to players but for them to not fulfill their deals, the Yankees may need to look for more outfield help for next season.
While nothing is clear yet, Hicks has consulted with both the Yankees staff and the team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. If surgery is needed to repair the injured ulnar collateral ligament, then Hicks will have a very hard time getting back up to speed at all to help out the Bronx Bombers next season.
Having been forced to start the regular season late due to a lingering pain issue with his back, Hicks only played in 59 games this season before the injury bug struck. Hitting .235/.325/.443 with 12 home runs, Hicks was poised to be a regular contributor for this team down the stretch, but ultimately was unable to last the entire season.
In his absence, Cameron Maybin has stepped in for the Yankees, and while his offensive production has not amounted to all that much, he has been a steadying veteran presence for this team in their postseason hunt.
On a positive note, the Yankees officially eliminated their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox, from being able to get into the postseason this year. While pretty much a given since how the Red Sox began their year, for the Yankees to be responsible for ousting them from competition has got to be a very sweet feeling for this ball club.
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