Aaron Hicks Expected to Miss Rest of Season With Wrist Injury
NEW YORK — It was always a possibility when Aaron Hicks hurt his left wrist and learned he needed surgery. Now, it's the expectation.
Hicks will likely miss the rest of the 2021 season after undergoing left wrist surgery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed on Thursday afternoon.
The center fielder has a torn sheath in his wrist and his subsequent rehab—four-to-six months from now—should take him into the offseason.
"It looks like it's gonna cost him the year," Boone said. "This is definitely not something that you want to rush back from. So it's my understanding that it'll probably spill into the offseason."
If Hicks does in fact miss the remainder of this season, he'll finish the year with 32 games played. Hicks hit .194 (21-for-108) with four home runs, 13 runs scored and 30 strikeouts in that span.
This isn't the first time the switch-hitter will finish the season with a frustratingly low number of games played. Over six seasons with the Yankees, Hicks is averaging just over 82 games per season, appearing in 100-plus contests only twice.
In his place, barring any trades to acquire an additional outfielder, New York will lean on veteran Brett Gardner heavily in center field. The Yankees' longest-tenured player has been in the lineup practically every game since Hicks went down earlier this month.
Boone alluded to giving Clint Frazier a shot in center in the future, a position the outfielder played in the minor leagues. New York also promoted prospect Estevan Florial on Thursday for a doubleheader, but that could be a short-term move with a need for a position player on the bench.
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