Hicks (elbow), who could return from Tommy John surgery shortly after the start of the proposed abbreviated regular season, may play an integral relief role according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "Given the circumstances of the season, the likelihood of his being able to contribute are a lot different than had it been a normal year," Mozeliak said. "There is some optimism that if we do have a season, he'll have some way of being a key member of it."
Mozeliak relays Hicks continues engaging in regular bullpen sessions at his home in Houston, usually throwing 30 pitches per outing in an effort to mirror his approximate maximum pitch count in an actual game setting. Tuesday, Hicks worked up to 40 total pitches by throwing two blocks of 20 each, and if the current early July timeline for Opening Day comes to pass, the 23-year-old will be close to 13 full months removed from his June 2019 Tommy John procedure. However, Mozeliak notes the Cardinals would also be particularly cautious with the hard-throwing right-hander due to his Type A diabetes, as the condition could potentially make him more at risk for serious COVID-19-related complications.