New York Yankees analyst believes Aaron Judge's return to action could result in Aaron Hicks' removal from lineup

Aaron Judge is poised to make his triumphant return to the New York Yankees, and one analyst believes Aaron Hicks could be moved. There will have to be a corresponding roster move to make room for Judge, and Hicks' performance has made him a prime candidate for removal. In addition, the team has found success playing their prospects and wants to continue that trend.

Hicks is off to a rough start offensively in 2023, hitting for a batting average of .143 and a putrid On-Base percentage of .213. Those are not marks that would be able to keep many players in the big leagues for long. Especially not on a team that has World Series aspirations, and is off to a slow start as a whole.

Andy Martino of SNY speculates that the New York Yankees like what they are seeing in their young players and will keep them active.

"The Yankees see potential in Jake Bauers’ bat and like Oswaldo Cabrera’s defensive versatility, leading one to wonder if Aaron Hicks’ roster spot will be in jeopardy when the team activates Judge" - Andy Martino

As the Yankees start to get their star players back from injury, tough decisions like these will have to be made. For many fans, this will not be a tough choice, as they have been calling for Aaron Hicks' demotion for years. Whether or not his intangibles outweigh his lack of production is unknown, but it's certainly hard to imagine.

The New York Yankees have been bitten by the injury bug to start the season, but Aaron Judge's return could be the end of their bad luck.

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Will replacing Aaron Hicks make that much of a difference for the New York Yankees?

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Based on what Yankees fans say, Aaron Hicks is the driving force behind the team's slow start to the season. While this is obviously an overreaction, he is clearly an offensive weakness in their lineup. Replacing his bat with Jake Bauer's or Oswaldo Cabrera's seems like an easy decision.

Hicks is an 11-year veteran of MLB, but can't seem to find any consistency in 2023. With the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles flying past them in the AL East, they need to step their games up quickly. In any other division, a downturn in April and May would probably be fine, but this division is absolutely merciless this year.