Yankees Provide Injury Update on Aaron Hicks Amid Recovery From Tommy John Surgery
By Thomas Carannante
Yankee fans, did you forget about this man as all of the other injury news surrounding Luis Severino, James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge ruined your offseason thus far?
Well, in case you did, outfielder Aaron Hicks is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. New Yorkers haven't heard much about him this winter considering all of the other distractions, but manager Aaron Boone finally gave fans some insight regarding the veteran's progress.
Yanks injury updates: Hicks is progressing well and June or July looks like a realistic return date #NYY #AaronHicks pic.twitter.com/Gq3s8Vh5gr
— Julian Guilarte (@JulianGuilarte1) March 2, 2020
Might as well pencil in July as the return date for Hicks, because at this point, Yankee fans should be thinking worst-case scenario. At the moment, the outfield is completely depleted with Hicks, Judge and Stanton on the shelf, but the good news is that there are reliable reinforcements in Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman (and if needed, Miguel Andujar).
Hicks underwent the elbow procedure in October after dealing with issues throughout the 2019 season. It was another unfortunate development for the Yanks, who can't seem to even get lucky with timing in regards to these various surgeries, most notably with Paxton and Severino.
Aaron Boone said June/July could be realistic for Aaron Hicks' return, referenced Didi Gregorius' Tommy John. Hicks' healing is "going to plan so far," Boone said.
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 1, 2020
This timetable for Hicks' return puts him in the 8-9 month range, all told, which is about average for position players. Pitchers typically miss a year or longer with Tommy John.
Nonetheless, with the sky seemingly falling in the Bronx, the Yankees should exercise caution as best they can because they can't afford setbacks with anybody.