Cardinals on the right Jordan Hicks told reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that he’s going on the disabled list with a sprained forearm. Shortly after Hicks made the revelation, the club announced a batch of roster moves, with the receiver Yadier Molina be activated from the bereavement list. Right-handed Kodi Whitley and Jake Woodford were recalled. To make room for those three people on the active roster, Hicks was placed on the IL, while on the right Junior Fernandez and receiver Ivan Herrera were opted for Triple-A.
Any injury to a pitcher’s pitching arm can be cause for concern, with the terminology “forearm strain” often being particularly frightening as it can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery. However, details coming from the club suggest they are not pressing the alarm buttons yet. Hicks tells reporters, including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, that he feels minor compared to his previous injuries, categorizing it as a normal pain that occurs for starting pitchers between outings. (Hicks suffered Tommy John in 2019.) He doesn’t seem to be expecting a long absence, as he said to Jones that he expects to be back this season, either as a starter or a reliever, depending on the long-term situation of the team.
Due to injuries to Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes, the Cardinals needed a rotation to start the year and decided to switch Hicks from reliever to starter, stretching him as the season progressed. The results haven’t been stunning so far, with the fire pitcher currently boasting a 5.02 ERA over 28 2/3 innings, along with a 23% strikeout rate, a walk rate of 15.9% and a rate of 55.6% on the ground.
Flaherty and Reyes are still on IL and were recently joined by steven matz. Perspective Matthew Liberator has been called up and seems to have taken a place in the rotation for now, alongside Adam Wainwright, dakota hudson and Miles Mikolas. That still leaves them shorthanded, and the Cards will play 12 games over the next 11 days through a doubleheader on June 4. Packy Naughton has already been with the big league club this year and could be called up to help. Angel Rondon had a good outing for the club earlier this week but was optioned the following day, May 23. Pitchers must remain in the minors for 15 days after being optioned, unless replacing a player going to the IL or acting as the 27th man for a doubleheader. Woodford, recalled today, has made two Triple-A starts this year, although he recorded just three runs in each one.