NEW YORK -- Boos were heard throughout Yankee Stadium as Aaron Hicks trudged back to the dugout after his fifth-inning strikeout on Tuesday evening. The embattled outfielder paused as he approached the bat rack, squeezing his helmet between his palms, exuding frustration. Aaron Judge was by his side.

In Judge’s view, counseling a downtrodden teammate falls under his responsibilities as a clubhouse leader; he likely would have attended to the moment even without his celebrated title as the 16th captain in franchise history. Immediately and without hesitation, Judge began pouring positivity into Hicks’ ears.

“We’ll kind of keep that to ourselves, but it’s just being a teammate, talking to him,” Judge said after the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Phillies. “Most of it was just asking about what he saw at the plate, getting his mind off some things, getting a little scouting report.”

It has been a tough start for Hicks, seemingly a continuation of a difficult 2022 campaign in which the switch-hitter voiced lofty 30-30 goals, then completed the year wondering how -- or if -- he fit into the club’s plans. Hicks was not in any of the Yanks’ first three lineups this season, and he answered bluntly when asked about his role; he wanted to play.

“It’s early in the season,” Judge said. “If you struggle now in April or if you struggle in August, anything can happen. It’s just about regrouping and moving on. If you make an out, get on to the next one.”

Hicks has three years and $30 million remaining on his contract, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone plans to keep him as part of a rotating outfield mix that includes Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Oswaldo Cabrera, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Franchy Cordero. Harrison Bader, the envisioned center fielder, is still weeks away from a big league return.

While Hicks was hardly the only Yankee to have a quiet night at the plate -- New York managed just four hits, avoiding a shutout when DJ LeMahieu homered in the ninth inning -- his 0-for-3 showing seemed to stick out to the crowd of 35,392.

“Obviously, it’s not the greatest reaction, but you’ve got to deal with it, fight through it,” Boone said. “I don’t think it had any effect on him. I thought he made a good play running to the foul line on a ball coming back [in the seventh inning]. He had competitive at-bats, just nothing to show for it. I think he’s handling it fine.”

Enter Judge, who has developed something of a playbook to help teammates through tough times, especially at home. In the last calendar year, Hicks, Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo and Kiner-Falefa have been among the popular targets for negativity from the home crowd. Judge attempts to counteract that, offering good vibes as insulation.

“I try not to make it all about me,” Judge said. “I’m just another player, just like anybody else. The captaincy is a big responsibility that I’ll never take lightly, but for me, I’ve got to focus on what I’ve got to do to help this team and help us win -- to put us in the best position to go out there and win as many games as we can.”

Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh hit early homers for the Phils off Yankees starter Domingo Germán, who was touched for four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe attempted to backhand a possible Marsh double-play ball in the fifth, settling for a forceout at second base that helped set up two more Phils runs.

“I’ve got to make that play,” Volpe said. “It was a big point in the game. That’s a play that’s got to be made, and [if it was], we’re off the field there. It’s as simple as that.”

Trea Turner and Schwarber greeted reliever Michael King with run-scoring hits, in the right-hander’s second ineffective appearance of the young season.

“I haven’t been getting it done,” King said. “Mechanically, it feels like my timing is a little off. I’d rather give up my own runs than Domingo’s. I feel like I spoiled a pretty good start, and it blew the game open.”

Cabrera started in left field over Hicks in New York’s first three games against the Giants, with Boone explaining that he didn’t like the pitching matchups for Hicks, who manned the position for the next two against the Phils. Boone said that he didn’t see Judge’s exchange with Hicks near the bat rack, but he wasn’t surprised to learn of it.

“Not at all,” Boone said. “That’s just Judgie supporting a teammate.”