The Baltimore Orioles signed veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to a major-league contract and placed Cedric Mullins on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, the team announced Tuesday.
The division-rival New York Yankees designated Hicks for assignment earlier in May and subsequently cut him May 20 after he posted a .188/.263/.261 slash line with one homer over 28 games. The team still owed Hicks roughly $27.6 million through 2025 when he was released.
Hicks, 33, signed a seven-year, $70-million extension with the Yankees prior to the 2019 campaign after he'd already played three seasons in the Bronx. Through his eight-year stint in New York, Hicks hit .232/.337/.398 with 81 homers and 39 stolen bases over 651 games.
The Yankees originally acquired him after he played his first three seasons with the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy.
Mullins left Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians with the groin injury.
The O's sit second in the AL East with a 34-20 record, four games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. Without Mullins, the Orioles' outfield is composed of Hicks, Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, Ryan McKenna, and utility man Terrin Vavra. Mullins is the only Baltimore player who's started in center field this season.
