NEW YORK — Aaron Hicks’ eight-year era with the New York Yankees came to an end Friday after the team released the outfielder with 2 1/2 seasons remaining.
Last Saturday the team assigned Hicks to designation, but the Yankees released him before starting the series against the San Diego Padres.
When they cut him, they owed him $27.6 million: $7,620,968 for the rest of the year, plus $9.5 million in salary for the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout.
Any major league team will be able to sign Hicks for a prorated fee of the major league minimum of $720,000, which would be offset by what the Yankees owe him.
“I hope they don’t miss the couple of good seasons he had here, he had some good times in the postseason,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Some injuries really impacted his time here and probably impacted his career and his ability to recover.”
Hicks, 33, had a .188 batting average this season with one home run and five RBIs in 28 games.
In February 2019, he reached a seven-year, $70 million deal, but suffered a right elbow injury on August 3 and missed the rest of the regular season and five playoff games before hitting a home run in the Game 5 of the ALCS against Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.
Hicks underwent Tommy John surgery on October 30 of that year.
He returned in July in the pandemic-shortened season, but he was never the same. Hicks hit .212 with 19 home runs and 80 RBIs in 244 post-op games, down from his .236 with 82 home runs and 276 RBIs in 654 games before he was injured.
His 2021 season came to an end on May 12 with a torn tendon in his left wrist that required surgery.
Hicks began his major league career with the Minnesota Twins in 2013. He was traded to New York in November 2015.
2023-05-27 02:55:28
#Yankees #officially #release #Aaron #Hick