Cardinals Homegrown Star Approaching New Opportunity After Stunner

One former St. Louis Cardinals homegrown star is about to begin his next opportunity after one of the most shocking mid-season trades in recent memory.

The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for a package that included former Cardinals flamethrower Jordan Hicks. The fireballer has been on the Injured List, but he has begun a rehab assignment in the minors and now could be activated as soon as next week, per MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.

"He added six splitters and four sweepers," Smith said. "He got five swings-and-misses: two with his sweeper and one each with his sinker, four-seam fastball and splitter. The Red Sox could activate Hicks when the Reds visit Boston Monday-Wednesday."

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey followd up and said Hicks has moved into Devers' locker space, although he hasn't been activated yet.

"Jordan Hicks and Nick Sogard have taken over Rafael Devers locker space in the Red Sox clubhouse. Hicks hasn’t been activated, still on rehab assignment. Sogard here for Mayer, who’s on bereavement list," McCaffrey said.

It sounds like he's just about to embark on his next opportunity. Hicks began his big league career in St. Louis after being taken in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Cardinals in the majors before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023. Now, he'll try to get back on track with Boston potentially as soon as next week.