Yankees reportedly reunite with one of their recent favorite outfield options

It's fitting that, just 24 hours after Aaron Hicks hooked on with the Angels, the man the Yankees replaced him with is returning to New York.

After flirting with eating Hicks' money for months, the Yankees finally took the plunge last May when the versatile Allen hit the market, offering a combination of speed and sneaky pop in the outfield. His ability to cover center field also helped.

Hicks was blindsided, but a reunion with Allen, who'd held it down during a COVID wave in 2021, made all the sense in the world. Unfortunately, the 2023 Yankees' bad luck stench was unavoidable. Allen hurt himself badly, tweaking his hip flexor in the Los Angeles Dodgers series that changed everything. When he returned, his most impactful moment was nearly tying up a late-season Red Sox game with a homer, instead watching it nick the top of the fence and bounce back, then being stranded on second base for three consecutive outs.

Still, the Yankees decided on Tuesday that they hadn't yet squeezed all the juice out of an Allen acquisition. He reportedly returned on a minor-league pact, according to FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray.

Yankees reportedly sign Greg Allen to minor-league deal

The soon-to-be 31-year-old Allen hit .217 with a single homer/.812 OPS in 28 plate appearances with last year's snakebitten Yankees, but his 2021 tenure provided a more encouraging "small sample size" blueprint.

That year, Allen served as a temporary spark plug for a bizarre Yankees team that might've found its brightest star when the front office uncovered Bronx squid Andrew Velazquez. In summer 2021, Allen hit .270 with a .417 OBP and .849 OPS in 48 plate appearances. His breakout had fans briefly wondering if 2019, the Season Where Every Random Yankee Banged, might possibly be repeating itself.

As it turns out, that Yankees team flamed out and was buried in Boston at the end of a depressing one-game playoff. Allen's second tenure, though it featured a few highlights, was similarly disappointing.

Ideally, the third time will be the charm, and Allen -- given an invite to spring training -- will at least secure plenty of spotlit reps in an effort to impress his next team. After such a long on-again-off-again relationship, it's the least the Yankees could do.