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For Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, there was a silver lining to the 2020 MLB season beginning in late July. The delayed start allowed the veteran to not miss any regular season action as he finished his recovery from Oct. 2019 Tommy John surgery.
The 31-year-old was able to play in 54 of the Bombers’ 60 regular season games, but he slashed just .225/.379/.414 while hitting six home runs and driving in 21 runs.
Speaking with the YES Network on Thursday evening, Hicks spoke about playing through pain all season long, saying that he still doesn’t feel fully healthy.
“I just felt like I was kind of grinding through things throughout the whole season it seemed like,” Hicks said. “You know, having a little bit of pain throwing, not really being able to fully feel like myself, having to change my swing a little bit to kind of protect my arm from hyperextending. There were just little things every now and then. I didn’t really start feeling good until towards the back end of the season, and by then it’s too late.
“I still don’t really feel 100 percent. My strength and doing all of that stuff is starting to be better and kind of work as far as strength, but I still kind of don’t feel the same.”
Hicks signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Yankees in early 2019, and when he’s right, the switch-hitting center fielder provides a spark at the plate and while patrolling the outfield.
Hicks said on Thursday that he’s been continuing to rebuild his strength in that repaired right elbow this offseason by lifting weights, though he hasn’t started any kind of throwing program yet in preparation for the 2021 season.
But the hope is that with more time and a continued buildup, Hicks’ elbow “should start to feel a lot a better.”
And with the Yankees still looking to win their 28th World Series title, having a healthy Hicks in the lineup every day could go a long way.