Aaron Hicks' hamstring is OK, but Brett Gardner replaces him in ALDS Game 2

BOSTON — Aaron Hicks’ right hamstring checked out fine Saturday, with an MRI coming back “clean,” according to Aaron Boone.

Still, the Yankees’ manager decided to err on the side of caution Saturday night, keeping Hicks out of his starting lineup for ALDS Game 2 against the Red Sox.

Brett Gardner, who replaced Hicks in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 5-4 loss Friday night when the latter departed with hamstring tightness, started in center on Saturday night and went 0-for-2 with two walks in the Yankees’ 6-2 victory.

“That was the first bit of good news: He felt better today,” Boone said of Hicks a few hours before Masahiro Tanaka squared off against David Price at Fenway Park. “He went out and did pretty extensive warmup on the field a little while ago. But I just decided it’s probably best to hold him out one more. Just decided I didn’t want to risk anything as far as him starting and having to pull him in the third inning or [something like that].”

Boone said Hicks would enter Saturday night “an active player,” one he wouldn’t hesitate to use in the right situation, but Hicks did not play.

“Just decided it would be best to have him as a weapon on the bench and kind of deploy him whenever we may need him tonight, which I wouldn’t hesitate to do,” Boone said. “And hopefully we get through today and with the off day [Sunday], I would expect him back in the lineup for Game 3.”

Gardner was involved in the Yankees’ two-run second inning Saturday. After Aaron Judge hit a 445-foot homer over the Green Monster in the first inning and Gary Sanchez homered over the Monster to lead off the second, Gleyber Torres and Gardner drew two-out walks and Andrew McCutchen lined a single off the Monster to make it 3-0. That knocked out Price.

Missing Hicks could be damaging. The switch hitter blossomed into one of the club’s most valuable everyday players this season. Besides being a standout defender with a terrific throwing arm, Hicks produced an .833 OPS with 27 homers and 79 RBIs, both of which were career highs.

Boone indicated that even before Hicks did some of his pregame work Saturday, which included running in the outfield, he was predisposed to hold him out.

“I just felt like in talking to him and working through it, I think he wanted to play but I think he was kind of OK and understood, ‘Yeah, I still feel a little something and it’s in there,’ so there’s just a little bit of apprehension that he could go out there and tweak it a little bit more, and then you’re really up against it,” Boone said. “I think he understands and hopefully will benefit from being off it for a day and a half.”

There’s also Hicks’ history with such injuries. He missed three games during the last week of the season with tightness in his left hamstring and spent time on the DL early in the season with a right intercostal muscle strain. Hicks had two separate DL stints in 2017 with a right oblique strain and then a left one. In 2016, a right hamstring strain cost him time.

“It’s one of those reasons that, from time to time with Aaron, during the regular season I’d give him a day even when he’s fine because these are things that have crept up from time to time with him, the soft tissue kind of things,” Boone said. “Hopefully this is something we can squash here and not impact too much the rest of the playoffs.”

Though it was a mostly down season at the plate for Gardner, Boone took solace in being able to plug a player with his experience into center.

“I call him a shutdown corner out there in the outfield. He’s a great defender,” Boone said. “And we know he’s going to give us quality at-bats. Yeah, there’s a lot of comfort in knowing we’ve got Gardy there that can step in. And, again, Aaron will be hot tonight and I wouldn’t hesitate to use him in a big spot, if the situation comes up.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.