Yankees Announce Hicks To Have Tommy John Surgery, Miss Up To 10 Months
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The New York Yankees hardly finished the 2019 season before starting on their injured list for 2020.
Center fielder Aaron Hicks will have Tommy John surgery for a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow and is expected to be out 8 to 10 months.
General manager Brian Cashman announced Thursday that Hicks would have the operation Oct. 30.
Hicks injured his right elbow Aug. 3. He initially rested and rehabbed with hopes of returning late in the season, but eventually he was sent home to Phoenix with instructions to rest until doctors could evaluate him in the offseason. While playing around in the backyard, Hicks experimented tossing a ball, found the pain had subsided and pushed New York to let him return in the postseason.
He rejoined the team in the AL Championship Series against Houston and hit a home run in Game 5. However, the Yankees and Hicks agreed he should have the surgery this offseason rather than continue pushing the partially torn UCL.
"He played great in the postseason for us obviously," Cashman said. "But once it ended, the feeling of, there's something here that's still not right, the follow-up doctor exam was, again, led to the ultimate decision we have to get this thing fixed or it's just going to blow."
Cashman also announced that right-hander Masahiro Tanaka had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs Wednesday, and Luke Voit had surgery to repair bilateral core muscle injuries Thursday. Both players are expected to be ready for spring training.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)