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Giants Demote Former Elite Prospect Back to Bullpen

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated May 21, 2025 5:02 PM ET

Jordan Hicks began his Major League Baseball career with lofty expectations. One of the top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals system and a top-100 prospect in the sport, Hicks hit the Bigs in 2018 at age 21, making the Cardinals roster out of spring training.

Hicks' electric stuff played even outside of the minors. He closed six games for the Cardinals as a 21-year-old and another 14 in 2019 as he increased his strikeouts-per-nine innings, decreased his walks per-nine and held a WHIP below 1.000.

Things took a turn south after he opted out of the 2020 COVID season and the Cardinals traded Hicks to the Blue Jays in July 2023. By November, he had been released upon which the San Francisco Giants took a flier, hoping to turn him into a starter. It mostly worked, as Hicks started 20 gams in the Bay Area and sought to turn into a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter for the Giants heading into this spring.

Things have changed.

The Giants demoted Hicks this week, replacing him in the rotation with right-hander Hayden Birdsong. Through 10 games, nine starts, Hicks, who made his season debut out of the bullpen Tuesday, carried a 6.10 earned-run average and 1.554 WHIP over 46 1/3 innings. They're the worst numbers of his career.

His time spent in the bullpen appears to have helped him take the change of fortune in stride.

"No matter where I'm at, I want to win," Hicks told MLB.com. "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."

Hicks signed a four-year, $44-million deal with the Giants ahead of the 2024 season in large part because the club anticipated turning him into a full-time starter. Manager Bob Melvin figured if Hicks can get his sinker right, he will return to the rotation sooner rather than later.

"Now that (Birdsong is) 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," Melvin told MLB.com.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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