Yankees Outfielder Aaron Hicks Out Indefinitely with Hamstring Strain

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is expected to miss most or all of the remainder of the 2016 season following a grade 2 hamstring strain.

It may not be obvious when looking at his numbers on the season, but Aaron Hicks could be a big loss for the New York Yankees as they make their playoff push in the season’s final month. Hicks was diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain Friday and is expected to miss at least several weeks with the injury.

Hicks has been one of the Yankees hottest hitters over the past few weeks, putting up a .309/.356/.473 (124 wRC+) slash line with three homers and three steals in his last 59 plate appearances. He was regularly being used at or near the top of New York’s lineup during their recent winning streak.

The 26-year-old former first rounder is widely seen as being a bust after his first season in pinstripes, hitting .213/.273/.330 (59 wRC+) on the year overall. It seemed like he was finally finding his rhythm at the plate since after finally receiving regular playing time last month.

The timing is pretty terrible for a young player who was looking to play his way back into the team’s plans for 2017. With New York possibly shopping leftfielder Brett Gardner this winter once again, Hicks could find himself competing for a starting job next year. This injury gives him less opportunity to make an impression.

Hicks has previously spent time on the disabled list in 2013 and 2015 with hamstring strains. He sounded dejected about the timing of the injury, telling Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:

"It’s definitely frustrating, especially since I’ve been swinging the bat well. Of course I’d like to keep that going."

At the same time, the injury opens the door for one of the Yankees other young outfielders to step up. Rob Refsnyder was promoted back to the big leagues Friday with rosters expanded, and more reinforcements could be on the way.

Mason Williams Jake Cave, and Cesar Puello have both had nice seasons with the Railriders, and top prospect Clint Frazier could be a wild card as well. Tyler Austin is another interesting option already on the roster. Any of these youngsters could see significant time in September following the trade of Ben Gamel and the injury to Hicks.

Next: Which Yankees are Next in Line for September Call Ups?

The timeline for Hicks’s return still isn’t clear. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweeted Friday that according to Girardi, he is likely to return at some point this year, but “it’ll take a while.”