BALTIMORE — Aaron Hicks is headed to the injured list with a torn sheath in his left wrist.
Though the center fielder felt some improvement, he took swings in the cage from both sides of the plate prior to the Yankees’ 8-2 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Saturday and the decision was made to put him on the IL.
He’ll be replaced on the roster by Ryan LaMarre, a source confirmed. The 32-year-old LaMarre is at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The right-handed hitter last played in the majors with the Twins in 2019. LaMarre is not on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees won’t have to make another move because they had 39 players on the roster before adding LaMarre.
“Any time you lose one of your key players, that’s a blow,’’ Aaron Boone said. “No question about it.”
Hicks has not had a cortisone shot and was treating the injury, a rupturing of the protective covering of the wrist tendons, with anti-inflammatory medicine.
Without Hicks, the Yankees have Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge, as well as Tyler Wade and Miguel Andujar, to play the outfield.
The only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is Estevan Florial, who was just moved up to Triple-A.
Surgery remains an option for Hicks if other treatment and rest don’t work. If a procedure is necessary, it would likely lead to a lengthy absence.
Giancarlo Stanton also sat for another game with left quad tightness, but the Yankees remain confident he’s day-to-day, although he’s likely to also miss Sunday’s game.
Gleyber Torres remained out and it now looks as if he will be out for the entirety of the 10-day COVID-19 IL, though the Yankees had expressed some optimism Friday that his stay might be shorter.
“He’s positive and in quarantine,’’ Boone said of Torres, so far the only Yankee player to test positive for COVID-19 during the outbreak, which has also affected pitching coach Matt Blake, first base coach Reggie Willits and third base coach Phil Nevin, as well as four unnamed members of the support staff.
With Hicks and Stanton out, Andujar moved to left field and Judge served as DH, while Wade was at shortstop.
Luke Voit, who entered Saturday hitless in 10 at-bats since returning from left knee surgery he underwent in spring training, came up with his first hit and first RBI of the season.
“You just want that first hit,’’ Voit said.
The first baseman said he’d been getting into bad counts and had been “too pull happy” in his first few games.
He was somewhat slowed after getting hit on his right hand by a pitch in his first game back.
“I’m feeling good,’’ Voit said. “My knee feels good and I feel like I’m back, finally. … I feel 100 percent.”
Rougned Odor, still out with a sprained left knee, had a “really good day’’ Friday, according to Boone. Odor took batting practice on the field Saturday, and Boone still is not ruling out the possibility he could return for the upcoming series at Texas, which begins Monday.