Yankees: Aaron Hicks likely out for the rest of the season after receiving a second opinion

According to the New York Post, Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks got a second opinion on his right elbow and was recommended to rest his throwing arm for a few more weeks before re-evaluation. With the playoffs right around the corner, it’s looking less and less likely that Hicks will return to the lineup this season.

This is another big blow to the Yankees outfield and it comes just a couple of days after the team lost Mike Tauchman for the season due to a Grade 2 calf strain. After it was reported last week that Hicks was still feeling discomfort when he resumed throwing you knew it wasn’t a good sign and the news today pretty much confirms that he won’t be a player for the Yanks come October.

Hicks has been out since he injured his elbow on a throw during a game on August 3rd against the Red Sox and has only played in 59 games this season. Prior to the injury, he was batting .235 with 12 HR, 36 RBI, and a .769 OPS.

Joel Sherman of The Post reported Hicks’ visit with a doctor in California for a second opinion and although Tommy John surgery wasn’t recommended immediately there’s still a chance it could be needed if his elbow continues to bother him after more rest. If surgery ends up being deemed necessary it would probably keep Hicks out of action for the beginning of the 2020 season. Last offseason Didi Gregorius underwent TJ surgery on October 17th after injuring himself during the ALDS and didn’t return to the Yankees lineup until June 7th.

With Tauchman and now Hicks both likely done for the season the Yankees need Giancarlo Stanton more than ever. The former NL MVP has been sidelined since June 25th with a right knee sprain and has only played in nine games all season. The hope is that he will be back with the club during the final homestand of the season which starts next Tuesday on September 17th. After that, there are only 11 games left in the season so the sooner the better because he needs as many at-bats as possible before the postseason begins.

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Until Stanton comes back Cameron Maybin will probably get the bulks of the reps in left field but Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade will also receive some playing time. Maybin has been playing with a lingering wrist issue so it would be nice to see Frazier provide a boost offensively like he did before he was demoted back in June.

All three of those guys are capable of doing a solid job filling in so as long as nobody else in the outfield gets hurt the Yankees should be fine for the rest of the regular season. Looking ahead to the postseason I think Maybin will now definitely be on the roster and Wade will have a chance to make it as well because of his speed and defensive versatility. Stanton will be the starting left fielder if he’s healthy because with Hicks out Brett Gardner is going to be in center field.

Now that Gio Urshela is back he’ll probably be the starting third basemen and DJ LeMahieu will be at first while Edwin Encarnacion will be the DH. If Luke Voit gets hot over this final couple of weeks he could factor into the starting lineup but it’s going to be tough because Encarnacion, Stanton, and LeMahieu are all going to play if they’re healthy.