The Baltimore Orioles made a roster move in correspondence with placing outfielder Cedric Mullins on the 10-day injured list.
Baltimore announced the signing of fellow veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks on Tuesday. The 33-year-old was made available after the Yankees released him in order to make roster room for Greg Allen, who they acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, putting an end to Hicks’ eight-year run in New York.
Hicks, who totaled 69 at-bats in 28 games played with the Yankees this season, batted just .188 with 13 base hits, including one home run, making for a brutal early campaign start after compiling a slash line of .216/.330/.313 in 2022.
The Yankees initially signed Hicks to a seven-year, $70 million contract in 2019, therefore, New York remains on the hook for the remaining three years while Baltimore takes a flyer on a league-minimum big league-level agreement.
It’s been a while since Hicks performed up to par. In 2022, he was mediocre at best. In 2021, Hicks played just 32 games due to a wrist injury. And in 2020, like the rest of Major League Baseball, Hicks was impacted by a COVID-19-shortened season.
With Mullins expected to be out for a short period of time and Baltimore fighting for the American League East crown, Hicks will audition for a sustainable roster spot with the Orioles, getting a chance to help build the division lead above the Yankees.
