Cardinals Lose Another Pitcher to the IL

Just days after starting pitcher Steven Matz hit the injured list, the St. Louis Cardinals are losing another arm—whether it's a starter or not, is another question. Jordan Hicks has a forearm strain, and has told reporters that he's going on the IL. Whether that is what accounted for his poor start against the Toronto Blue Jays this week isn't known. But Hicks doesn't feel it's something major. 

Hicks had an ultrasound and they’re still waiting to have the results analyzed. He says it feels much more minor than either of the last two injuries. Was normal soreness for a pitcher between starts and they’re taking a step back to let him rest, recover

— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) May 26, 2022

Hicks has been trying to make the transition from closer to starter, as the Cards have been building up his pitch count and innings over the previous four starts. But something came to a head on Tuesday, and Hicks wasn't able to escape the 4th inning. He allowed 5 walks and 4 runs, on 78 pitches. He actually had more walks than swings and misses. His ERA now stands at 5.02.

Will Hicks return as a starter, or will he head back to the bullpen? 

“At the end of the day, you can’t go out there every five days and not attack the strike zone,” manager Oli Marmol said. “We’ve been patient up to this point. It’s very difficult on your bullpen, especially when you have multiple starters giving you four innings and five innings at a time. Sometimes less than that. We’ll take a deep look at it.”

And with Hicks' trip to the IL, they'll have a bit more time to think it over. 

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports