Aaron Hicks Picking up Right Where he Left off in June

Aaron Hicks continues to be a bright spot for the Yankees, but it wasn’t always that way. He is finding his groove after a tough 2016.

This time last season, Yankees fans were bashing the deal that brought Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins to the Bronx, and who could blame them? After all, Hicks was disappointing to say the least, hitting just 12 home runs and 40 RBI with a .284 average in 2016.

Fast forward to this season, however, and the script has been completely flipped.

Hicks has been nothing short of spectacular since coming off the DL last week in Toronto, providing a boost to what was a Yankee lineup that had been struggling to produce runs. Since coming off of the DL, Hicks is 6-for-26 with a a pair of home runs, four runs scored and four RBI,

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and has had plenty of timely hits to make up for the .230 average over that stretch.

After a relatively pedestrian series in Toronto, Hicks made his presence felt in a big way during his first game back at home against the Boston Red Sox. Following a leadoff hit-by-pitch that put Brett Gardner on first base, he mashed a high two-run home run in the eighth inning that stayed just fair along the left field line. That brought Boston’s 3-0 lead to just 3-2 and ended up sparking a five-run inning from what had been a dormant Yankee offense up to that point.

On Sunday night, it was Hicks’ glove that stole the show in what turned out to be a crushing 3-2 loss to the Red Sox in extra innings. In the top of the first inning, Eduardo Nunez lined what looked like a potential triple into the gap in left-centerfield. Hicks turned around, ran straight back towards the warning track and then dove to his right to make a tremendous catch.

Hicks followed up an impressive display in the field Sunday night with a clutch go-ahead blast on Monday in the first of a four-game Subway Series between against the New York Mets. Mets reliever Hansel Robles missed his spot on a pitch over the plate, and he was able to hit no-doubter deep into the left field bleachers to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

Next: Live Nine-Inning Analysis of the third game of the Subway Series

Gary Sanchez tacked on another run with a solo home run of his own later in the inning, but Hicks’ go-ahead home run ended up being the game-winner and his second important long ball in three days.

Aaron Hicks appears to have picked up right where he left off before landing on the DL, and, if he continues to make big plays in the field and at the plate, he could be a driving force in a potential postseason birth for the Yankees.

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