How Aaron Hicks' Season-Ending Injury Impacts Yankees' ALCS Roster
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NEW YORK — Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is out for the remainder of the postseason after sustaining a left knee injury in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday night.
Hicks left the game after colliding with shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera, trying to track down a pop fly in shallow left field in the third inning.
After an MRI, Hicks learned that he will miss the next six weeks and that his season is over.
"Extremely disappointing. [This season] is obviously something special and I want to be a part of it," he said. "Now I'm no longer going to be able to play on the field to do my best to help this team win and win a World Series. Just gotta watch from the sideline."
New York went on to win Game 5 of the ALDS against the Guardians, clinching a spot in the Championship Series against the Astros. The ALCS is scheduled to begin on Wednesday night in Houston, a quick turnaround for New York after their victory on Tuesday in the Bronx.
With Hicks out of the picture moving forward, the Yankees will need to replace him on their ALCS roster.
One option would be to add shortstop Oswald Peraza, who didn't make New York's ALDS roster. That would allow Boone and the coaching staff to use Peraza at short and keep Cabrera in left field, the position he played in the first three games of the Division Series.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa's status will have an impact on this situation as well. The shortstop played in more regular season games than every Yankee other than Aaron Judge was benched in Game 4, coming in as a late-inning replacement in Game 5. If he is going to settle back into the starting lineup, Cabrera can stick around in left.
On the bench, the Yankees already have outfielder Tim Locastro, utility man Marwin Gonzalez (Hicks' replacement after the injury on Tuesday) and slugger Matt Carpenter. There's a chance that Carpenter (and potentially Giancarlo Stanton) can play some defense at Minute Maid Park in Houston during this series, a way to get both of those bats in the lineup. With the Crawford Boxes in left, there's less ground to cover—both Carpenter and Stanton made appearances in left against the Astros in that ballpark during the regular season.
Hicks had a rough year in pinstripes, seeing his playing time disappear as New York acquired other outfielders at the trade deadline (and as his production continued to dip to new lows). The 33-year-old hit .216/.330/.313 over 130 games this season with eight home runs, 54 runs and 109 strikeouts.
Speaking of trade deadline acquisitions, Yankees manager Aaron Boone ruled out a return from Andrew Benintendi for the ALCS after the game on Tuesday night. The outfielder broke the hook of his hamate bone in September and hasn't played in a since.
MORE:
- Gleyber Torres Gets 'Revenge' on Josh Naylor, Rocking Baby as Yankees Clinch
- Yankees Advance to ALCS, Eliminate Guardians With Win in Game 5
- Aaron Judge Makes MLB History With Home Run in Game 5 of ALDS
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