Yankees' Aaron Hicks sits out Monday in wake of Minnesota police shooting

April 12 (UPI) -- New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks removed himself from the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays in the wake of the police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota.

"With all that's going on in Minneapolis, he's having a tough time right now," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. "Had a conversation in my office and he just felt like it was best to not be in the starting lineup tonight. And I certainly support that and we'll try to rally around him the best we can.

"Obviously, the situation is heartbreaking right now in Minneapolis. And I think it has hit Aaron particularly hard."

Boone added that designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton also considered sitting out against the Blue Jays, but he ended up playing.

"I talked to [Stanton] briefly, so we'll see where that leads," Boone said. "Talked to [hitting coach] Marcus [Thames] a little bit. A lot of this has unfolded since I've been here. ... I didn't know until late this morning about what had gone on or the news reports around it, so just getting here and trying to process it all."

Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, died Sunday after a police officer shot him in the suburb of Brooklyn Center during a traffic stop.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Monday the fatal shooting was likely accidental. The officer meant to use a Taser, but instead fired a gun.

The Minnesota Twins -- along with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the NHL's Minnesota Wild -- postponed Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox due to the unrest in the aftermath of the shooting.

Hicks was the Twins' first-round pick in the 2008 draft. He was the club's top minor league prospect before making his MLB debut in 2013.

The Twins traded Hicks to the Yankees for backup catcher John Ryan Murphy in 2015.

In eight games this season, Hicks has recorded a .129 batting average with one home run and five RBIs.