New York Yankees will have to play the better part of the next season without center fielder Aaron Hicks. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed on Thursday that Hicks is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow next week and will be forced to miss eight to 10 months while recovering.
Hicks missed significant time towards the end of this season, with TJ surgery being a possibility. However, he decided to postpone the procedure in order to return and help the Yankees in their postseason run. With the season being over for Yanks now, the 30-year-old had no choice but to address the issue right away if he plans to play in 2020.
“He’s getting Tommy John because he needs it,” – Cashman told reporters. “That’s the bottom line. Obviously, he was feeling it regardless of getting back. I think we tried to address this in the past, but you know when he had the in-season injury, there was a rest and rehab process that was put in play. That process failed because the pain immediately came back.”
Hicks, who signed a seven-year, $70 million contract extension with Yankees back in February, was limited to only 59 games this season, due to elbow and back issues. He ended the regular season with .235 batting average, 12 home runs, and 31 RBIs.
