The New York Yankees believe that centerfielder Aaron Hicks should be ready to be activated this weekend.
Hicks, 29, hasn’t played at all this season. He was placed on the IL during spring training due to back issues.
Last season, Hicks hit .248 with 27 home runs and 79 RBIs. In 2017, Hicks bat .266.
In three games with the Tampa Tarpons, Hicks is 0-for-11, but nobody is really concerned. Most times, players struggle in their rehab assignments just because they are rusty and are used to faster pitching with pitches that have even more break.
Who will depart?
We believe that it will most likely be Mike Tauchman who departs, going to AAA on the next “Scranton Shuttle”.
Tauchman was acquired from the Rockies in the final week of Spring Training. He has a .203 average with 11 RBIs and four home runs in his time as a Yankee, starting a good portion of games thus far. Most of his time was spent in left-field. If he does indeed go down, Brett Gardner can shift back to left to make room for Hicks in center.
It’s unlikely that it would be Cameron Maybin to go, his average sits at .321 and is a seasoned outfielder, in the big-leagues since 2007.
It’s great news that players are beginning to get healthy again, and the Yankee lineup is finally not looking like a Railriders lineup. Giancarlo Stanton should be the next Yankee to return, hopefully in a few weeks.