KANSAS CITY -- Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks limped slowly to the dugout during the 5-4 win in 13 innings over the Royals on Wednesday night, and it could be a while before he gets back on the field.
Hicks was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain, sustained while running out a ninth-inning groundout. He is expected to have tests during Thursday's off-day in Baltimore, but the Yankees are not optimistic about his chances of a quick return to the lineup.
"Running down the line, my hamstring just pulled a little bit," Hicks said. "It didn't feel good. I have no idea how long this is going to take. We'll see what we've got tomorrow and we'll go from there."
Manager Joe Girardi said he does not expect it to be a day-to-day situation with the 26-year-old Hicks, who finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, and was replaced in right field by Aaron Judge.
"I'm concerned. Any time you have a speed guy that injures a hamstring, you're concerned," Girardi said.
Hicks has had two previous stints on the disabled list with left hamstring injuries, in 2013 and '15 while with the Twins, missing two to three weeks. Because rosters are expanding to 40 players on Thursday, the Yankees do not necessarily need to place Hicks on the DL.
This season, Hicks is batting .213 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 112 games, though he batted .280 (23-for-82) in 26 August contests.
"It's definitely frustrating, especially since I've been swinging the bat well [recently]," Hicks said. "Of course, I'd like to keep that going. The team has been winning, we've been scoring a lot of runs and coming up with big wins just like we did tonight."