DUNEDIN, Fla. — After a black man was killed by a police officer in Minnesota, Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Hicks decided not to play Monday night against the Blue Jays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Hicks came to him Monday afternoon in the wake of the news that Daunte Wright, 20, was shot by an officer on Sunday during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, and told him he was struggling with the events.
“It’s just been a hard day for him, understandably, emotional,” Boone said before the Yankees opened their series against Toronto at TD Ballpark.
“He felt like he would have a hard time going out there tonight. All I can do is try the best I can to offer support. I understand how he’s feeling.”
Boone added that he also talked to Giancarlo Stanton, who was outspoken during last summer’s racial unrest following the police-related death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the DH was also considering not playing as of Monday afternoon, but ultimately stayed in the lineup, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the Yankees’ 3-1 win.
“It’s life,’’ Boone said of Hicks’ decision. “This is our livelihood. It’s really important to us, but the people we come in contact with each and every day and work with closely and share so much with, essentially, are like family. We all have families. Life happens. There’s great times, good times, great days [and] tragic things that come up that affect so many people in so many different ways. You try to live life the best way you can and sometimes that means loving and supporting someone through something. But I would say, all in all, it’s a part of life.”
Not surprisingly, Boone — who has two adopted children who are black — wasn’t interested in the reaction of some fans who were critical of Hicks’ opting to sit out the game.
Hicks did his usual pregame work before the Yankees’ win and Boone said he was on the bench throughout the game. Boone added “we’ll see where he’s at moving forward.”
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