Aaron Boone spoke with reporters on Tuesday to discuss the hiring of third base coach Luis Rojas, but he also shed some light on some injured Yankees, with the offseason now well underway.
First up was center fielder Aaron Hicks, whose injury troubles continued in 2021 with a torn tendon sheath in his wrist that sidelined him for the season after sustaining the injury in May. Hicks, in the midst of a seven-year contract that takes him through 2025, is still hoping to play winter ball to help prepare for a full 2022 season.
“He’s in position to do that,” Boone said. “He sent me some video of him swinging in the cage yesterday. He’s feeling great. I think he’s looking forward to doing that. We’ll just see where we are in the next few weeks about the final signing off on that or not, but he’s in position to be able to do that.”
Jameson Taillon won’t be in any position to participate in baseball activities this winter, as he recently underwent ankle surgery that will sideline him for five months. But Boone clarified on Tuesday that Taillon’s recovery means he would be game-ready within five months, putting him in line to be ready for the beginning of the season, if not soon after.
“I think the diagnosis was five months, and that’s five months being built up, the full, all the way back, which puts him in line for late March/early April,” Boone said. “He should be throwing and getting off the mound in January and February. I would think his spring training won’t be totally normal, but building up in a fairly traditional way. The surgery went well, which is good.”
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