Giants Difficult Decision in Rotation Gives Incredible Opportunity to Young Arm

The San Francisco Giants had no choice but to make what was a difficult decision in the starting rotation for the week ahead.

After an up and down 2024 season and some brutal struggles to begin this year, the team is moving former reliever and attempted converted starter Jordan Hicks back to the bullpen following his latest ugly start.

Hicks now has an ERA on the year of 6.55 and WHIP of 1.522, both marks that represent the worst of his career.

Though the Giants are paying him starter money and it's difficult to admit the experiment has failed, the misfortune gives an incredible opportunity for one of the team's brightest young stars.

Hayden Birdsong is Finally Getting Another Chance to Join Rotation

With Hicks headed back to the bullpen, there was no question who his replacement was going to be.

After an incredible spring, young right-hander Hayden Birdsong forced his way onto the Opening Day roster. But he was not given a spot in the rotation, rather being used as a long reliever instead.

Even though he had every reason to complain following an epic camp, Birdsong did not do that and put his head down and went to work.

That has paid off with a season in which Birdsong has a 2.31 ERA over his first 11 appearances with 25 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.

If he didn't already prove it in the spring, the 23-year-old has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is ready to get back into the starting rotation.

Last season, Birdsong started to show some flashes, especially at the end of the year, though the overall numbers were not there. He had a 4.75 ERA in 16 starts, showing devastating stuff but perhaps lacking the ability to harness it just yet.

In 2025, he looks like he has taken the next step as a pitcher, and as a result, fans in San Francisco are going to get the chance to see who could be their ace of the future back as a starter.

Birdsong is slated to take Hicks' start this coming Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals in what looks like the biggest opportunity of his career.

If he can give the Giants better production than what Hicks offered, Birdsong figures likely to be a fixture in the rotation for the rest of the season, and potentially for a whole lot longer than that.

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