SAN FRANCISCO – Jordan Hicks’ move to the Giants’ bullpen is happening earlier than everyone expected.
Hicks was scratched from his scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park on Sunday and replaced by Erik Miller.
Hicks, the veteran reliever who signed a four-year, $44 million contract to be be a starter in San Francisco, had already been ear-marked to go back to the bullpen as several of the Giants’ other starters have began making their way back from the injured list.
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Sunday was supposed to be Hicks’ final planned start of the 2024 season but those plans changed, in part, to help begin the move back to the bullpen.
“It’s going to be easier to transition him going forward if we go into the bullpen today because it wasn’t going to be a deep outing anyway,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said prior to Sunday’s game. “He’s pitched out of the bullpen before and he’s been real successful in the back end. We have to gradually move into that. It’s not like we’re going to stick him in the eighth inning right away.
“Today using [Erik] Miller to start, there’s probably a couple guys that are going to be a couple innings each, and potentially he would be one of those. So it’s going to be a little bit of a transition as we go forward.”
Hicks has had mixed results as a starter this season.
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The 27-year-old right-hander is 4-7 with a 4.01 ERA in 20 starts and has 90 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. But Hicks is winless over his previous 10 starts, his last victory coming May 8 against the Rockies.
Melvin said he wasn’t sure exactly what Hicks’ role in the bullpen would be, either as a set-up man for closer Camilo Doval or a guy who could go multiple innings if needed.
“I don’t know yet,” Melvin said. “I think as of today, it’s going to be just ramp him down a little bit with potentially a couple innings.”
In other Giants’ health-related news:
- Right-handed reliever Sean Hjelle was placed on the Bereavement List because of a “family siutation,” according to Melvin.
- Reliever Randy Rodriguez has been called up from Triple-A Sacramento.
- Outfielder Heliot Ramos was given the day off in order to rest a sore thumb he aggravated while batting Saturday. With Monday being an off day, the Giants felt it best to give Ramos some extended time to heal.
- Pitcher Alex Cobb has a blister on his right hand and will not start against the A’s on Wednesday, as was the original plan.
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