Yankees designate Aaron Hicks for assignment

The Yankees designated Aaron Hicks for assignment ahead of their matchup against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The news broke early this afternoon, with the timing of it being somewhat curious, as the switch-hitting outfielder looked to be turning a corner.

The organization announced on Twitter that this move was done to open up a spot for Greg Allen, acquired via trade last night from the Boston Red Sox.

It now seems clear that the team was more or less done with Hicks for some time. This was more about finding the proper replacement for Hicks and not just cutting him for the sake of it. His recent stretch of quality play wasn’t wasn’t enough to sway them into giving him another shot. A good week or two of performance aside, for all parties involved, a divorce has seemed like the best path for a while now.

Under contract through the 2025 season, and with a team option for 2026, the Yankees still owe the switch-hitter $20 million for 2024 and 2025, not to mention the rest of his salary for this season.

Overall for his career in New York, Hicks played eight seasons with the Yankees, compiling 661 hits, including 101 home runs. The highlight of his tenure was a 2018 campaign which saw him finish 22nd in the MVP voting. Hicks had a 4.8 bWAR that season.

We’ll surely have more coverage of this somewhat surprising move (albeit one that many fans had been clamoring for for some time) in the coming days. Let us know how you feel about Hicks’ departure in the comments below.