Jordan Hicks, who was demoted to the San Francisco Giants bullpen after his failed attempt at sticking in the rotation, is ready to “turn the page” for now but isn’t giving up on being a starter.
Hicks, who pitched in relief for most of his five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays, signed a four-year, $44 million deal with San Francisco prior to the 2024 season largely because they were willing to convert him into a full-time starter.
After making 20 starts in 2024, Hicks struggled to a 6.55 ERA over his first nine starts of this season before that experiment was shelved.
“No matter where I’m at, I want to win,” Hicks told MLB.com. “I think that’s the competitor in me. We have a really good ballclub here. Things just weren’t going the way that we wanted with me as a starting pitcher. I’ve just got to turn the page for now and go do some bullpen work.
“I’m not giving up on myself. If the opportunity presents itself, I will happily take it. At the same time, I really don’t have much control of the situations. Yeah, I want to be a starting pitcher. That’s always what I’ve wanted to do in the big leagues. It’s not the time right now.”
Manager Bob Melvin pinpointed Hicks’ sinker as a potential reason for his lack of success.
“He was kind of unlucky with it. But the more he’s out there, the more comfortable he gets in the bullpen, I think he’ll start to see more strikeouts,” Melvin told MLB.com.
Hayden Birdsong took Hicks’ place in the rotation on Tuesday, while Hicks made his first relief appearance of the season on Monday night.
Over his seven MLB seasons, Hicks, who is known for a fastball that dips and darts with uncommon movement for its velocity, has 33 career saves, 53 holds and a 4.24 ERA with 392 strikeouts.
“Hayden was fantastic for us in the bullpen as well,” manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. “Now that he’s starting, to be able to put [Hicks] in there that’s had a track record of being very successful in the bullpen, too — we don’t lose any confidence that way, that’s for sure.”
