Aaron Hicks DFA: Yankees name veteran outfielder for assignment after eight years in New York

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By Webdesk



The New York Yankees assigned veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to an assignment ahead of Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. The move freed up a spot for Greg Allen, who was acquired Friday night from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-hander Diego Hernandez and cash fees.

Hicks, 33, had hit .188/.263/.261 (47 OPS+) in 76 at bats this season. CBS Sports recently highlighted why he should be on the chopping block despite having more than $25 million left on his contract:

Hicks and the Yankees have been moving toward a divorce since late last season, when he publicly expressed frustration with his role despite his poor play. The Yankees must now certainly be rid of the delusion that he can still contribute. Hicks has not come close to the league average since 2020. He opened the season with a 3-for-40 showing against right-handed pitchers. Before Sunday, he hadn’t hit an extra-base hit since last September. There are no underlying indicators to suggest a reversal is likely. The Yankees’ outfield isn’t quite healthy, but that’s okay. You don’t have to understand or agree with the concept of substitution level to agree on this one: there are countless minor league outfielders who, given the chance, could offer the Yankees more than Hicks has so far. Just eat the money already.

Allen, 30, begins his second stint with the Yankees organization. He previously spent the 2021 season in pinstripes, appearing in 15 games and posting a 136 OPS+. Allen has played in a total of 282 big league games, hitting a slash of .232/.299/.336 (71 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 45 stolen bases. He played in Triple-A this season and hit for a .795 OPS with 23 stolen bases (on 23 tries).

It’s worth noting that Hicks’ subtraction this season spares two other outfielders with poor grades, namely Willie Calhoun and Jake Bauers. Both have outperformed Hicks thus far and had no minor league options. As such, they would have been exposed to the waiver had the Yankees made this decision based solely on money owed.

The 18-year old Hernandez played in 12 games last season for the Yankees’ affiliate Dominican Summer League. He posted a 2.10 ERA and a 3.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in those games. He was not ranked as a top-30 prospect in the system by Baseball America.

The Yankees and Red Sox rarely trade with each other. This is the first trade since the Red Sox signed Adam Ottavino in January 2021. That deal was the first since 2014 (Stephen Drew for Kelly Johnson, and That one of the first since 1997, when the Yankees sent Tony Armas and Jim Mecir to Boston for Mike Stanley and Randy Brown.





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