Inside The Pinstripes

Aaron Hicks Sits in Series Finale With Back Tightness

New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Cleveland Indians with back tightness per manager Aaron Boone

Max Goodman

After homering in back-to-back games, Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks is out of the lineup on Sunday afternoon with back tightness, manager Aaron Boone revealed before the game.

Boone added that the switch-hitter could've played on Sunday, but he didn't want to push the envelope in a day game after a night game.

"Nothing I'm worried about," Boone said pregame. "But it pushed me into saying this is a good day to get him down too."

Hicks will likely be available off the bench on Sunday afternoon if needed, per Boone. 

Before New York's four-game set in Cleveland began on Friday, Hicks was hitting .154 (8-for-52) on the season. Further, he had just one hit in his previous six games, going 1-for-17 (.059) in that span. 

After two games in a row with clutch home runs, getting on base in each of New York's first three games against the Indians, Hicks is slashing .172/.274/.328, with seven runs and seven RBI. 

Third baseman Gio Urshela was also dealing with some back tightness earlier this week, exiting a game against the Braves and sitting the following day. Since then, Urshela has played without any problems, though. 

In the midst of 13 games in a row without an off day, resting Hicks before traveling to Baltimore for an additional four-game set is the right move. It opens the door for left-handed hitters Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman to get some reps in the lineup against a righty, making sure this doesn't develop into anything more serious for Hicks as this team starts to build some momentum.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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