New York Yankees left fielder Aaron Hicks Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees' Aaron Hicks survives return of Aaron Judge

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 5/9/23

Outfielder Aaron Hicks gets to hold on to his spot with the New York Yankees for now.

Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com shared that, as expected, the Yankees reinstated slugger Aaron Judge from the 10-day injured list (right hip strain) ahead of Tuesday's home game against the Oakland Athletics. While it was thought the Yankees could release Hicks to make room on the active roster for the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, New York instead placed infielder Oswald Peraza on the IL retroactive to May 6 with a right ankle sprain.

Hicks signed a seven-year, $70M contract extension with the Yankees ahead of the 2019 season but has recently become the team's most-booed player during home games. The 33-year-old began Monday's contest versus Oakland slashing .143/.213/.161 with no home runs and two RBI on the campaign before he crushed a two-run blast to the delight of those at Yankee Stadium in the 7-2 win over the Athletics:

First home run of the season for Aaron Hicks! pic.twitter.com/rJ3UsQgOhP
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 9, 2023

"It felt amazing, to be able to get me one and get on the board. It feels good," Hicks said about finally going deep this season, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy. "Any time you can extend a lead, it’s always helpful. It felt good to hit one in that situation. It feels good."

In a different piece, Goodman noted that the Yankees still owe Hicks $30.5M. Manager Aaron Boone wanted to focus more on the veteran's resiliency after Monday's victory.

"We’re talking about a guy that hasn’t run from any of this," Boone said of Hicks. "He’s been working his tail off behind the scenes, whether it’s extra hitting, extra work. He’s trying to make it happen. None of this I’m sure has been easy, but he’s stood there and faced it every single day, and credit to him for continuing to grind."

Without Judge, who last played during a win at the Texas Rangers on April 27, the Yankees went 4-6 and began Tuesday at 19-17 and in the basement of the AL East standings.

Boone and company will eventually face future roster decisions when others are ready to return from injuries, but Hicks should at the very least receive additional opportunities to impress would-be buyers this spring. Of course, he could again hear boos as soon as Tuesday night if he fails to produce in a big spot as the Yankees attempt to climb back up the division standings.

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