NEW YORK — New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks left Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday with a left knee injury after a collision with shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera on a popup to short left field.
He will undergo an MRI at New York Presbyterian Hospital, putting his status for the AL Championship Series in question. The Yankees won Tuesday’s game 5-1 to advance to the next round, which begins Wednesday in Houston against the top-seeded Astros. Boone said following the game he didn’t yet know whether Hicks will travel with the team to Houston.
With the Yankees leading 4-0 in the third inning after home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan singled on a fly ball over third base, which both Cabrera and Hicks tried to field in shallow left field.
In his attempt to catch the ball, Hicks tangled his feet and crashed with his left shoulder onto Cabrera’s upper body. Boone and Yankees head athletic trainer Tim Lentych immediately walked over to Hicks, who remained down for several minutes. He tested his running skills before being taken out of the game.
Cleveland would load the bases with one out against starter Nestor Cortes Jr., and catcher Austin Hedges scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-1.
Marwin González, making his postseason debut in pinstripes, was brought in as a defensive replacement. González has had limited experience playing left field at Yankee Stadium, with only eight previous appearances this season.
The Yankees have some versatility in their lineup in order to cover any lengthy absence by Hicks, particularly with the likely return of DJ LeMahieu (right foot discomfort) to the infield.
González and Cabrera both have outfield experience this season. Since his major league debut on Aug. 17, Cabrera has played 37 games in the outfield, including three this postseason. The speedy Tim Locastro also played 26 games in the outfield this regular season, mostly as a defensive replacement.
And Matt Carpenter, who was activated for the postseason after being out with a foot fracture since Aug. 8, also had 15 outfield appearances for the Yankees. Carpenter, who has been limited to a lefty bat off the bench, has said that he feels healthy and that playing the outfield could be on the table.
