Yanks after taking day following police killing

Chauvin — the officer involved in Floyd’s death — is currently underway, and Brooklyn Center were under curfews as protests turned into riots on Sunday. The Twins, Wild and Timberwolves postponed their games Monday night.

Hicks said he learned about the murder on social media Monday morning. When he saw the Twins, the team that drafted him, postponed their game that night, it hit him that maybe he should not play.

“I was going back and forth nearly on the drive over to the field. And then by the time I got to the field, I just knew it wasn’t right for me to play,” Hicks said.

Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton and hitting coach Marcus Thames spoke openly and emotionally last year in support of the movement for racial justice in the aftermath of Floyd’s murder. Stanton and Hicks initially knelt during the national anthem in the wake of those protests. They also publicly expressed their difficulties of, as Hicks put it, living “as a Black man in America.”

There was an almost immediate backlash on Twitter — and in emails to the media — about Hicks’ decision. Several teammates, however, expressed support for him. Boone said that was up to the individuals and he did not speak to the team about it.

“It was incredible. I mean, just being able to say they got my back and even if they don’t understand what it is like and what Black Americans in this country have to deal with sometimes. It’s just nice to kind of hear ‘It’s all good. We’ll take care of this game for you,’” Hicks said. “It’s nice to have that.”

Boone said it was not something they discussed as a group, but that support was expected.

“When we’re talking about things that happened yesterday that had an effect on Aaron, we’re talking about deeply personal things,” Boone said. “You try and respect that as best you can. When you haven’t necessarily walked in somebody else’s shoes either, (you) try and empathize with that a little bit.”

TORRES SITS, URSHELA SHIFTS

Gleyber Torres had a sore right ring finger after jamming it on Monday night sliding into second base. The Yankees sent him to have x-rays and a CT scan, which came back with clear results, but Boone held him out of the lineup Tuesday. Boone said it would just be one day off for Torres, but that meant Gio Urshela started at shortstop in the big leagues for the first time since 2018.

“I have a lot of confidence in Gio when he has a glove on his hand and he is standing on the infield,” Boone said. “So I expect him to go out there and play the way he’s capable of and handle the routine play.”

Urshela played a lot of shortstop in the minors and has played 13 games there in the big leagues with the Blue Jays and Cleveland. He said he would be comfortable there if the Yankees needed him to shift over. Considering how much teams shift now, Urshela often moves to that area of the field during games for a batter or two.

“Obviously he was a guy that was a defense first guy, always,” Boone said. “So really no reservation and throwing him over there today.”

VOIT A GO

Luke Voit was cleared for light activities after an exam by his surgeon Monday. The first baseman had a partially torn meniscus repaired last month.

“He was actually doing some light fielding drills today in the cage. So he’s able to start throwing and doing some real light fielding this week with the hopes that he’ll start introducing hitting and hitting off the tee and things like that starting next week,” Boone said. “So he’s progressed really well to this point.”