There may be more to the story behind Aaron Hicks and the Yankees' messy divorce.
According to former MLB catcher AJ Pierzynski, the Yankees may have had an issue with Hicks playing in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in the offseason, and Hicks' performance last weekend Ranked 8th on the celebrity ranking.
“I don't know if this is true, but Aaron Hicks played in this tournament a few years ago, and the Yankees told him he should quit because they thought that was the cause of his injury.” Pierzynski said on the show “Foul Territory.” Thursday. “I don't know if it's true, but there was a rumor that he was told to stop playing golf.”
Hicks was a passionate golfer and is on record as once telling the Post that he wanted to be a Tiger. play on the pga tour One day, after a long stretch of disappointing play, he was drafted by the Yankees last May.
The switch-hitting outfielder, currently a free agent, was acquired by the Yankees in a trade in 2015 and signed a seven-year, $70 million contract extension before the 2019 season.
His best season in the Bronx was 2018, when he hit 27 home runs and got on base with a .366 batting average.
However, Hicks had flat seasons in 2021 and 2022, ultimately hitting a combined .211 with just 12 home runs as the Yankees cut back on bait in early 2023.
He also suffered two major injuries in New York, the first in 2019 when he underwent Tommy John surgery for a right elbow injury, and the second in 2021 when he underwent surgery on his left wrist.
Four days after his tenure with the Yankees ended, Hicks signed with the Orioles and was a surprising success, posting an .806 OPS in 236 at-bats as a replacement in center field for the injured Cedric Mullins.
“I wasn't shocked,” Hicks told the Post about being released by the Yankees last July, “because I felt like I already saw where they were going.” “I knew something was coming because of all the people that came.” [from the minors] It seemed to pass me by. I would still do the same role-playing against some lefties. … I thought it was going to continue and that I would never get a consistent opportunity to play and take over the job. ”
