Yankees' Hicks exits game against Boston Red Sox following lower body injury

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks exited Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday with an apparent lower-body injury in the top of the fourth inning.

Hicks was removed shortly after connecting for a single on the 11th pitch of an at-bat against Red Sox ace Chris Sale. After Giancarlo Stanton fouled off the next pitch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone and a trainer came out to the field to check on Hicks at first, where the decision was made to remove him.

He was replaced by pinch-runner Brett Gardner, with New York trailing 5-0 at the time.

Hicks, the Yankees' No. 3 hitter in the contest, missed two games against the Tampa Bay Rays in the final week of the regular season with left hamstring tightness.

Hicks walked in his first at-bat Friday. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI double in New York's wild-card game win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

Hicks, 29, hit .248 with career highs of 27 home runs and 79 RBIs for New York during the regular season.

(With inputs from agencies.)