Aaron Hicks isn’t headed for Tommy John surgery just yet, but the Yankees are headed to October without him.
The center fielder got a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in California and received a recommendation to take a few more weeks of rest before a further evaluation.
Aaron Boone said “surgery certainly would be on the table. I wouldn’t even call it likely. It’s very much up in the air with how he responds.”
So far, Hicks hasn’t responded well, with his throwing program stopped just days after it began.
Multiple MRI exams haven’t shown a clear tear in the UCL, according to Boone, but with the playoffs approaching quickly and Hicks now down for at least a few weeks, Boone acknowledged the Yankees have to plan on the postseason without him.
“Yeah, even if it’s ultimately not surgery, the clock’s against him now,’’ Boone said before Wednesday’s game against Detroit was postponed by rain. “We have a lot of good players out there. We’ll be all right.”
Without Hicks, who suffered the injury making a throw on Aug. 3, the Yankees have just three completely healthy outfielders on the roster.
Mike Tauchman is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a left calf strain in Boston.
Clint Frazier, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge were all slated to be in the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, with Cameron Maybin still dealing with a ligament injury in his left wrist that figures to linger the rest of the season.
Giancarlo Stanton remains in Tampa, with hopes he can return before the postseason — and be able to play the outfield after being out since June 25 with a sprained right knee.
“I think that’s what we’re getting him ready for,’’ Boone said of the possibility of Stanton being in the outfield if and when he does come back. “We’re optimistic he’ll be able to do it.”
Though it’s pretty clear Hicks won’t be a factor the rest of the way, his long-term future is undetermined.
“It’s kind of a gray [area] about what the course of action should be,’’ Boone said of a potential surgery.
Hicks will be back in New York when the Yankees return home next week.
“We’ll talk and get our arms around it,’’ Boone said. “We’re trying to get as many smart people as we can to look at this, but it’s — frankly — something that’s not real clear as to what the course of action should be.”
The news, though, is hardly encouraging. He began a throwing program on Sept. 2 after being shut down for nearly a month.
Afterward, Hicks acknowledged it felt “weird” to throw, but thought he would be OK and was scheduled to start swinging again later in the week. At the time, he remained confident he would be back during the regular season.
“The reality is he hasn’t responded to the first shutdown and he came back,’’ Boone said. “Hopefully we all make the right choice in time here.”
It’s the end of a disappointing season for Hicks.
After signing a seven-year, $70 million extension, Hicks played in just 59 games this year. In addition to being sidelined with the flexor strain in his right elbow, he was out at the beginning of the season with a back injury.
If Hicks were to need Tommy John surgery, he would be the third prominent Yankees position player to undergo the procedure in the past three years, following Gleyber Torres and Didi Gregorius.
And as the Yankees prepare for the postseason, a once crowded outfield has been decimated.
Hicks, Tauchman and Stanton are all out — not to mention the perpetually injured Jacoby Ellsbury.