DUNEDIN, Fla. — After a black man was killed by a police officer in Minnesota, Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Hicks decided not to play Monday night against the Blue Jays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Hicks came to him Monday afternoon in the wake of the news that Daunte Wright, 20, was shot by an officer on Sunday during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, and told him he was struggling with the events.
“It’s just been a hard day for him, understandably, emotional,” Boone said before the Yankees opened their series against Toronto at TD Ballpark. “He felt like he would have a hard time going out there tonight. All I can do is try the best I can to offer support. I understand how he’s feeling.”
Boone added that he also talked to Giancarlo Stanton, who was outspoken during last summer’s racial unrest following the police-related death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the DH was also considering not playing as of Monday afternoon, but ultimately stayed in the lineup, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the Yankees’ 3-1 win.
Aaron Hicks is sitting out tonight’s Yankees game. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post“It’s life,’’ Boone said of Hicks’ decision. “This is our livelihood. It’s really important to us, but the people we come in contact with each and every day and work with closely and share so much with, essentially, are like family. We all have families. Life happens. There’s great times, good times, great days [and] tragic things that come up that affect so many people in so many different ways. You try to live life the best way you can and sometimes that means loving and supporting someone through something. But I would say, all in all, it’s a part of life.”
Not surprisingly, Boone — who has two adopted children who are black — wasn’t interested in the reaction of some fans who were critical of Hicks’ opting to sit out the game.
Hicks did his usual pregame work before the Yankees’ win and Boone said he was on the bench throughout the game. Boone added “we’ll see where he’s at moving forward.”
Daunte Wright was killed in Sunday’s incident. Family handout“I can’t speak to how he’s feeling,’’ Kyle Higashioka said. “We all have compassion for him.”
“I would say Aaron’s hurting in a huge way, in a way that he felt like it was probably the responsible thing to take himself out, knowing it was gonna be hard for him to be all-in mentally in what’s a high-stakes, difficult job, to go out there and perform for the New York Yankees,’’ Boone said. “I don’t really even give two thoughts to them. My concern is with Aaron and his well-being. This is something in the immediate. It’s real emotion he’s feeling.”
Hicks was drafted by the Twins and played the first three years of his major league career in Minnesota before he was traded to the Yankees.
“He’s having a tough time right now,’’ Boone said. “He just felt it was best not to be in the starting lineup. I certainly support that. We’ll try and rally around him as best we can. The situation is heartbreaking in Minneapolis. It’s hit Aaron particularly hard.”
Three major sports teams in the city, the Twins, Timberwolves and Wild, postponed their games Monday. And Boone said he was behind players making their voices heard.
“Things go on in society and culture that spills over into athletics,’’ Boone said. “These guys, rightfully so, have gained more and more of a platform to express themselves. I support their right to do that.”
