By WFAN.com
It's been quite an interesting start to the season for the Yankees.
New York has endured a plethora of injuries to significant contributors throughout the entire 2019 campaign, yet have managed to begin the year with a 21-15 record.
While the Yankees have already begun to get some important players back from the injured list, the team is still missing some big names from its starting lineup, including outfielder Aaron Hicks, who has been out since the start of spring training with a back injury.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone joined "Mike's On" Thursday to talk about Hicks' return to the team, which could come as soon as Monday after a brief stint at Triple-A Scranton.
"Hicks is actually here today because he's played three in a row in Tampa," Boone told Mike Francesa. "Today's a day off, so he came and worked out with us today. He'll drive to Scranton in the morning and play there this weekend with the idea that he'd be activated from there."
Hicks is far from the team's only outfielder to miss time this season.
Giancarlo Stanton played in just three games before going on the IL with a strained left biceps. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge was enjoying a solid start to the season before suffering a left oblique strain, which led to the team placing him on the IL on April 21.
While it appears as if Hicks will be joining the team in New York Monday, the manager indicated that it will be some time before the Yankees welcome Stanton or Judge back to the lineup.
"Stanton had a good day in the cage yesterday where he ramped up a little bit, hit off the machine, did his tee and toss, felt like we had a pretty good day there," Boone said. "Hopefully he starts to move quickly. He's been able to stay in shape too, in terms of doing his outfield work, his throwing, all that. Once we get to that point where he really starts to build some momentum, he shouldn't be too long. But we've got to get to that point...
"As far as Judge, no baseball activities yet. He's making improvements every single day. He's able to condition his lower body. His range of motion is getting better without any issues. He's definitely improving every day, but still a ways off with Judge."
One of the biggest surprises of the 2019 season has been the performance of Gio Urshela.
The 27-year-old is hitting .346/.409/.526 with two home runs, nine RBI and eight doubles in 28 games while spending all of his time at third base.
Urshela would figure to be the odd man out once everyone returns from the injured list, but Boone hinted that the infielder could stick around if he continues to excel at the plate.
"Sure, I think it's possible..." the manager said about whether or not Urshela has a shot at sticking with the team once everyone returns from the IL. "At this point, it's hard to deny how impactful a player Gio has been and how important he's been to us. He's certainly put himself on some solid ground as far as continuing to have a role with this club."
To listen to Mike's full interview with Aaron Boone, click on the audio player above.
