ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Outfielder Aaron Hicks will conduct the search for his missing game at Class AA New Britain.
Hicks, who already was with the Rock Cats on a rehabilitation assignment, was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list, but the Twins decided to keep him at New Britain and optioned him there. Hicks has recovered from a right shoulder injury that made it difficult for him to throw.
"It's getting your mind right and focusing on how to get better as a player, get back to doing what he was doing,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, "and that's working both sides of the plate and doing what he's done his whole career.''
New Britain is the place where Hicks last had success at the plate. In 2012, he batted .286 there with 13 homers, 61 RBI, 21 doubles, 11 triples and a .384 on-base percentage. Brad Steil, Twins director of minor leagues, said he remembers Hicks hitting lefthanders and righthanders equally well by the end of the year. Hicks, in fact, hit .283 against lefthanders and .287 against righthanders that year, although his slugging percentage was only .434 against righties as opposed to .522 against lefties.
The Twins decided to give Hicks a chance to open the 2013 season in center field in the majors. Since then, he has a .194 batting average in 129 major league games. He gave up batting righthanded at the beginning of June, but last week, while on the rehab assignment, told the Twins he was going back to switch-hitting.
"He'll just continue to work on his swing from the left side,'' Steil said. "I think he needs to be more aggressive, and that comes from confidence. Now being back down in New Britain maybe he can start working on getting his confidence back.''
In six rehab games, Hicks batted .238 with two RBI. Sam Fuld and Danny Santana will continue to get starts in center while Hicks is trying to rebound.
"He's a really good talent,'' Gardenhire said, "and I think we're all trying to find how to get everything out of him.''
