Yankees’ Hicks exits Game 5 after collision in OF
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Marly RiveraESPN Writer
NEW YORK — New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks left Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday with a left knee injury after a collision with shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera on a popup to short left field.
He will undergo an MRI at New York Presbyterian Hospital, putting his status for the AL Championship Series in question. The Yankees won Tuesday’s game 5-1 to advance to the next round, which begins Wednesday in Houston against the top-seeded Astros.
With the Yankees leading 4-0 in the third inning after home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan singled on a fly ball over third base, which both Cabrera and Hicks tried to field in shallow left field.
In his attempt to catch the ball, Hicks tangled his feet and crashed with his left -shoulder onto Cabrera’s upper body. Manager Aaron Boone and Yankees head athletic trainer Tim Lentych immediately walked over to Hicks, who remained down for several minutes. He tested his running skills before being taken out of the game.
Cleveland would load the bases with one out against starter Nestor Cortes Jr., and catcher Austin Hedges scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-1.
Marwin González, making his postseason debut in pinstripes, was brought in as a defensive replacement. González has had limited experience playing left field at Yankee Stadium, with only eight previous appearances this season.
The Yankees have some versatility in their lineup in order to cover any lengthy absence by Hicks, particularly with the likely return of DJ LeMahieu (right foot discomfort) to the infield.
González and Cabrera both have outfield experience this season. Since his major league debut on Aug. 17, Cabrera has played 37 games in the outfield, including three this postseason. The speedy Tim Locastro also played 26 games in the outfield this regular season, mostly as a defensive replacement.
And Matt Carpenter, who was activated for the postseason after being out with a foot fracture since Aug. 8, also had 15 outfield appearances for the Yankees. Carpenter, who has been limited to a lefty bat off the bench, has said that he feels healthy and that playing the outfield could be on the table.
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Max Olson
San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero, the leading receiver in FBS this season, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January, he announced Friday.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound redshirt sophomore caught 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season with the Spartans, becoming a semifinal for the Biletnikoff Award and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
Scudero is expected to be one of the more coveted wide receivers available when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2 and has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Scudero spent two years at Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State after the 2024 season. He broke out with 189 receiving yards to open the season against Central Michigan and surpassed 100 yards in five more games, including a career-high 215 and two touchdowns against Hawaii.
Scudero’s 88 receptions ranked fourth-most in FBS, and he leads all receivers this season with 16 catches of 30 or more yards.
The Spartans produced the No. 14 passing offense in FBS this season but went 3-9 in their second year under coach Ken Niumatalolo.
North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will not return next season, with the school announcing the departure of both assistants after a 4-8 season in Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut.
“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes,” Belichick said in a statement. “We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
North Carolina’s offense was one of the worst in the country, ranking 119th in the FBS in scoring (19.3 PPG) and 129th in total offense (288.8 YPG).
The Tar Heels had special teams issues coming down the stretch too, notably with Duke running a fake field goal to set up a late winning touchdown and NC State successfully running a fake punt for a first down the following week.
Kitchens, who served as Cleveland Browns coach in 2019, had been with the Tar Heels since 2023 and was the interim coach for their Fenway Bowl loss at the end of the 2024 season. Belichick was hired as the new head coach earlier that month.
Priefer was a longtime NFL special teams coach who followed Belichick to Chapel Hill but lasted just one season on the job.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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