Aaron Hicks Reacts to Being Benched After Costly Misplays in Left Field
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NEW YORK — Aaron Hicks has plunged to rock bottom on multiple occasions throughout the 2022 season. What transpired during the fourth inning during Friday night's loss against the Rays at Yankee Stadium, however, was arguably the lowest point he's ever experienced in pinstripes.
After dropping a fly ball in left field, proceeding to loiter on the warning track—thinking the ball was foul while two runs came around to score—Hicks came up empty on a second catchable ball and run-scoring hit in his direction.
The boos directed at Hicks from a sellout crowd in the Bronx were deafening, louder than they've been all season. It didn't stop until Estevan Florial replaced Hicks in left field to begin the next inning, a defensive switch that sparked cheers from the home crowd.
Following the final out, after a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay, Yankees manager Aaron Boone clarified that the decision to pull Hicks was not punitive. He wasn't punishing the outfielder, Hicks just wasn't in the right headspace to keep playing in his opinion.
"It's disappointing," Boone said, frustration evident in his tone. "There's a level of feeling for him there. Just felt like at that time, I needed to make the change."
Hicks was much more blunt about it when he spoke to reporters in the clubhouse.
"I mean, I got benched," he said. "I got benched during the game. That's rough. Especially when all you want to do is produce for your team. My first two at-bats are strikeout. It is what it is. I just got to prepare for tomorrow."
The outfielder explained that he was unsure why he couldn't haul in the first fly ball hit in his direction, a shot to the opposite field from Wander Franco that smacked off the inside of his glove before falling safely to the dirt at his feet.
"The ball down the line, I thought I caught it," Hicks said, admitting that it's a play he should've made. "It obviously came out of my glove. I thought I was in foul ground and I should've just as soon as I missed it got the ball in as fast as possible."
Randy Arozarena ripped a line drive over Hicks' head on the very next pitch, as boos still reverberated in his direction. Hicks assured that he had moved on from the Franco misplay before the Arozarena double was scorched in his direction. He simply got beat on a tough play—the optics of it were far worse when considering what had already transpired in the inning.
Hicks' season continues to spiral on both sides of the ball. He's hitting .211/.326/.296 this year, batting .157 with an OPS under .450 over the last two months (since July 10). Asked if Hicks needs to get back out there this weekend to make up for his mistakes and build confidence, Boone said, "no, not necessarily."
"We just gotta keep working. You gotta fight through this," the skipper explained.
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