The New York Yankees have called up veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. The move freed up a spot for Greg Allen, who was picked up by the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in exchange for right-hander Diego Hernandez and money considerations.
Hicks, 33, had averaged .188/.263/.261 (47 OPS+) in 76 plate appearances this season. CBS Sports recently highlighted why he should be on the brink even though his contract still has over $25 million:
Hicks and the Yankees have been on the verge of a divorce since late last season, when he publicly expressed frustration with his role despite poor performance. Surely the Yankees must have gotten rid of the illusion that he still has something to contribute by now. Hicks hasn’t even come close to matching the league average on offense since 2020. He opened the season with a 3-for-40 performance against right-handers. Prior to Sunday, he hadn’t recorded an extra base hit since last September. There are no underlying indicators that suggest a trend reversal is likely. The Yankees outfield isn’t at full health, but that doesn’t matter. You don’t have to understand or agree with the concept of substitutes to agree so much: There are dozens of minor-league outfielders who could offer the Yankees more on occasion than Hicks currently has. Just eat the money.
Allen, 30, will begin his second stint with the Yankees organization. He previously spent the 2021 season in pinstripes, appearing in 15 games and averaging a 136 OPS+. Allen has appeared in 282 total major league games while averaging a .232/.299/.336 slash line (71 OPS+) with 10 homers and 45 stolen bases. He has spent this season in Triple-A and posted a .795 OPS with 23 stolen bases (on 23 attempts).
It’s worth noting that Hicks’ withdrawal spares two other underperforming outfielders this season, namely Willie Calhoun and Jake Bauers. Both have outclassed Hicks to date and have had no minor league options. Therefore, if the Yankees made that decision solely based on monies owed, they would have been subject to the waiver.
The 18-year-old Hernandez played 12 games last season for the Yankees’ affiliate, the Dominican Summer League. In those competitions, he posted a 2.10 ERA and a 3.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was not ranked by Baseball America as a top 30 candidate in the system.
The Yankees and Red Sox rarely trade with each other. This is the first trade since the Red Sox acquired Adam Ottavino in January 2021. That deal was the first since 2014 (Stephen Drew for Kelly Johnson) and the first since 1997, when the Yankees sent Tony Armas and Jim Mecir to Boston Mike Stanley and Randy Brown.