If we are being honest, the injury Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins suffered on May 29 could have been a total gut punch for a team that was looking as if it was ahead of schedule.
Once we understood Mullins’ injury was serious enough for a stay on the injured list, we quickly turned to the reality that it would be weeks before No. 31 would be back.
A groin injury of this nature has the chance to be a tricky one. If not rehabbed correctly and with patience, it could easily lead to another injury that turns into two months or more.
All the talk early in the season was about how great Adley Rutschman had been and how the Orioles needed to sign him to an extension. But it was Mullins who had quietly been the most valuable player on the team. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound center fielder hit .263/.356/.479 with 23 extra-base hits — 12 doubles, three triples and eight homers — with 39 RBIs, 26 runs and 13 steals on 15 attempts prior to landing on the IL.
So, amid all the early-season feel-good moments, the injury Mullins suffered while running out a grounder was a big-time bummer.
The mind quickly turned to how the Orioles would fill the void. Ryan McKenna is OK for a couple games here and there, but in replacing a star, the Orioles would clearly need to turn toward Triple-A Norfolk and think Colton Cowser, who was in the midst of a breakout season for the Tides. As well as Cowser was going, there was just one problem. He had just been placed on the seven-game IL with a quad tightness.
The major leagues can be a huge adjustment for a top prospect. It’s not an assignment any team wants to a give a prospect fresh off the IL.
In a small transaction on May 26, the New York Yankees released longtime outfielder Aaron Hicks, who signed a seven-year, $70 million extension ahead of the 2019 season. He was hurt or ineffective almost from the day the deal was signed. The contract runs through 2025. The Yankees are responsible for nearly all of the remaining money.
With Kyle Stowers (shoulder inflammation) and Cowser unavailable, Orioles GM Mike Elias quickly and decisively picked up the 33-year-old Hicks. In 28 games with the Yankees this year, Hicks batted .188/.263/.261 with one home run, seven walks and 20 strikeouts.
Hicks’ injuries seemed to erode his defensive skills to the point that the Yankees preferred Aaron Judge in center and Hicks in left. So down on Hicks were the Yankees last season that they traded solid lefty starter Jordan Montgomery for center fielder Harrison Bader, who was on the IL at the time of the deal.
Once Hicks joined the Orioles, manager Brandon Hyde has entrusted him with center field. No ifs, ands or buts about it. So, how is Hicks doing to date? The 6-foot-1, 205-pound outfielder is batting .327/.441/.551 with two homers, three doubles and one triple. His ability to be a tough at-bat for pitchers has returned since he threw on a No. 34 Orioles jersey. He has struck out just 10 times and walked nine times. Hicks is clearly a professional hitter.
I’ll go so far as to say that when Mullins returns, I am not so sure they are better with Mullins in center, Austin Hays in left field and Hicks as the fourth outfielder.
Mullins in left field, Hicks in center field and Hays in right field would be the best outfield alignment Hyde could play. Anthony Santander could serve as the designated hitter and even play first base against right-handed pitchers.
As to what the Hicks acquisition means in the larger sense? It means Elias isn’t doing the development deal as he tries to win now. He appears to be close to all-in for 2023, but don’t be surprised if we still see a couple young bucks like Cowser and Westburg in the next month.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles