Aaron Hicks returns to New York for first time: ‘A change of scenery has been good’
NEW YORK — Aaron Hicks walked into Yankee Stadium Monday afternoon with a beard for the first time since 2015. When reminded of how long it’s been since he sported full facial hair, Hicks belly laughed.
“I had to shave the top and my face for eight years,” Hicks said. “But it’s nice. I enjoy having it.”
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After the Yankees designated him for assignment on May 20, Hicks been working on growing the beard and he’s been trying to rejuvenate his career, too. The Orioles signed the outfielder to a minimum contract on May 30 after they placed center fielder Cedric Mullins on the injured list. Since joining the Orioles, Hicks has four home runs and an OPS of .854 in 26 games with Baltimore. In 28 games with the Yankees, Hicks had one home run and an OPS of .524 in 28 games.
The end of Hicks’ tenure in the pinstripes seemed inevitable as soon as he didn’t win the Yankees’ starting left field job out of spring training. He told The Athletic on Opening Day that he didn’t know what his role was. Clarity about Hicks’ role was never formed. Hicks said on Monday that he never formally asked for the team to release or trade him. But the Yankees made it clear to him that he was not in their plans. They continuously chose other options over Hicks, like Cabrera, Franchy Cordero, Willie Calhoun and Jake Bauers. When Hicks did find himself in the lineup, he looked overmatched at the plate. Hicks has said on numerous occasions how he can’t get into a groove if he’s not playing every day. That wasn’t going to happen again in The Bronx.
Since joining the Orioles, Hicks has played nearly every day, mostly in center field. Hicks thinks knowing he’s going to be in the lineup every day has helped him find success again, although he’s slumped over the past 15 games, going 9-for-47 with a .637 OPS during that stretch. Over the past month, Hicks never doubted that he could return to being a productive player like he was before two debilitating injuries to his elbow and wrist. He did insinuate that things might have been different if the Yankees gave him a longer runway to be an everyday player to work through his struggles.
“I went down the struggling road and couldn’t get myself out of it,” Hicks said. “I feel like when I started to have success, I wasn’t given an opportunity. Now that I’m over here, I’m getting a lot of opportunities and trying to make the most of it.”
Aaron Hicks is back at Yankee Stadium as an Oriole
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 3, 2023
The Orioles are 14-12 in games Hicks has appeared in so far this season. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde credited Hicks for being a key reason why they remain in second place in the American League East and 5 1/2 games behind Tampa for the division lead. If the season ended today, the Yankees and Orioles would square off in the wild-card matchup. Hyde said he “didn’t know what to expect” when the Orioles signed Hicks. He hoped that he could just fill in a role that came open when Mullins went on the injured list. Hyde said the front office liked how he could play all three outfield spots and pointed to his ability to work counts and draw walks.
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The lack of production at the plate over the past few seasons ultimately led to Hicks drawing the ire of the Yankees fan base. Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes that, in time, fans will speak more positively of the good moments Hicks had in New York, like his three-run home run off Justin Verlander in Game 5 of the 2019 ALCS.
“The last couple of years, he was one of those guys that kind of got in the crosshairs of that,” Boone said of the fans’ reaction toward Hicks. “A lot of that was not his own doing. He had some serious injuries that kind of derailed him and cost him sometimes and then he was unable to find that consistency moving forward. He did a lot of really good things here, too, and had a few really good seasons here. He had some really good postseason moments and hopefully as time goes off, hopefully that appreciation will be there.”
Hicks joins a list of veteran players in recent years that includes Joey Gallo, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman and Frankie Montas who did not live up to their expectations after they were either traded for or signed a lengthy extension.
“I think it is a tough place to play but I also think it’s the best place to play,” Boone said of New York. “That’s not to diminish playing other places. It’s hard. The big leagues are hard. It’s the best of the best. These guys are great at capitalizing when you’re going through a tough stretch or capitalizing on weaknesses you’re having. It’s a hard game. It’s a game of failure, even for the best of the best. You can have an MVP season like Aaron Judge had last year and he failed a lot. That’s a skill to handle that. It takes some tough will and a tough mind.
“Here, it can be even more challenging, especially if you go through some struggles. It’s tough. I would also say there’s no better place to do it. A lot of times it’s tough because so many people care about it.”
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Hicks, who’s hitting seventh and playing left field, was vociferously booed in his first plate appearance before he popped out. He was booed again when the Yankees showed a highlight reel of his time in New York in the second inning. But he’s happy he’ll be walking to the plate out of the third-base dugout instead of the Yankees’ dugout.
“A change of scenery has been good,” Hicks said.
(Photo of Aaron Hicks: Reggie Hildred / USA Today)
