The Yankees have designated Aaron Hicks for the assignment, the team announced Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:
Hicks, 33, joined the Yankees in 2016 after a trade with the Twins.
The New York outfielder’s contract ended at three years and nearly $30 million.
Before being benched for the Yankees’ game against the Giants on April 2, Hicks told The Athletic, “I have no idea what my role is. It’s kind of uncertain.”
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Was that a surprise?
When Hicks wasn’t named the Yankees’ first left fielder earlier in the season, it always seemed the natural conclusion. Hicks has struggled with various injuries over the past few years, which hampered almost all of his offensive performance. Last season, he openly questioned whether starting over somewhere else would be best for him, but the Yankees stood by him throughout the offseason and said they believed in his potential to transform his career. But in his first 28 games of the season it became clear the Yankees couldn’t trust him at the plate. He currently has a WRC+ of 49, meaning he’s 51 percent worse than the average MLB hitter. The Yankees have World Series ambitions and Hicks probably wouldn’t have been part of the team’s postseason plans.