Orioles sign Aaron Hicks

The Orioles today announced that they have signed outfielder AARON HICKS to a Major League contract. He will wear No. 34 and be active for tonight’s game. Additionally, outfielder CEDRIC MULLINS has been placed on the 10-day Injured List with a right groin strain. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players. 

Hicks, 33, appeared in 28 games with the New York Yankees this season, making 15 starts in left field and five in center field. He slashed .188/.263/.261 (13-for-69) with two doubles, one home run, nine runs scored, five RBI, and seven walks. He ranked in the top 11 percent of the majors in Statcast Arm Strength with a 90.8 mph average on the top 10 percent of his throws.

Hicks has appeared in 898 games across 11 Major League seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2013-15) and New York Yankees, slashing .230/.329/.384 (661-for-2,878) with 113 doubles, 14 triples, 101 home runs, 428 runs scored, 356 RBI, 420 walks, and 65 stolen bases. He has appeared at all three outfield positions in his career, making 619 starts in center field, 104 in left, and 69 in right, and owns a career fielding percentage of .993 (13 E/1,811 TC). From 2013-15, he led Twins outfielders in assists (22) and games played in the outfield (243). He has made nine career Opening Day rosters (2013-14, 2016-18, 2020-23), including seven as a Yankee. From 2017-18, he posted an .838 OPS and a .368 on-base percentage, one of just eight American Leaguers over the stretch to reach both of those marks with at least 200 games played, along with Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Alex Bregman, Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez, José Ramírez, and Mike Trout.

A native of San Pedro, Calif., Hicks was selected by the Twins in the first round (No. 14) overall of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. He made his Major League debut with Minnesota on April 3, 2013, after making his first career Opening Day roster. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy on November 11, 2015, and signed a seven-year contract extending through the 2025 season with a team option for 2026 on February 25, 2019. He is a product of Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif. Hicks played golf growing up and has participated in numerous charity golf tournaments.