Gallegos remains the Cardinals' projected closer to open the season, but top ninth-inning option Jordan Hicks (elbow) is helped by the current shutdown the longer it extends, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hicks has been projected for a mid-to-later-summer return all along after late-June 2019 Tommy John surgery. Heading into spring, Gallegos was considered a strong candidate to primarily handle closing duties in Hicks' stead until that point, but the further Opening Day is pushed back, the more the potential amount of missed regular-season time for Hicks shrinks. Following a rocky start to Grapefruit League play, Gallegos was trending up when spring training was suspended, posting four straight scoreless efforts before play was paused.