Aaron Hicks had a second cortisone shot in his back over the weekend, and he declared himself pain-free Tuesday.

The next step for the outfielder, who has already ruled himself out for Opening Day next week, told reporters the next step in his rehab process will be to take swings without any pain.

After Hicks' first cortisone shot, the pain dissipated but returned when he started taking cuts again. This time around, he wants to be sure that same issue won't repeat itself.

Hicks also shed more light on the nature of how the injury occurred. The official diagnosis, he said, is "chronic back pain" that flared up following a bus ride to Lakeland, Florida. The 29-year-old admitted to not warming up before swinging in the cage, per The Athletic's Lindsey Adler, and the pain progressed from there.

Hicks said he believes his back pain started after a bus ride to Lakeland. He got off the bus feeling tight, then didn't warm up enough before hitting the cage. The pain got worse a couple days later during a night game.
- Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 19, 2019

The Yankees signed Hicks to a seven-year, $70-million extension last month.

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