Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks hasn’t been an above-average offensive player since 2020, when he had a 124 wRC+ in 54 games (out of 60) and 211 plate appearances. Between injuries and the natural process of aging, he slumped to 76 and 90 wRC+ finishes in 2021 and 2022 and was, before Friday’s game, at an awful 53 in 2023.
However, while we can’t help but point out the struggles, it’s also fair to give praise when he is doing things right. In the last six games prior to the series opener against the Reds, he was showing considerable improvements.