Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak suggested earlier this month that Hicks could get a look in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2018, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
While Mozeliak indicated last week during the Cardinals' annual Winter Warm-up event that free-agent pickup Luke Gregerson would enter spring training as the team's closer, he acknowledged that the team is still "kicking tires" on other options to upgrade the back of the bullpen, both externally and within the organization, according to Goold. While lefty Tyler Lyons, the newly acquired Dominic Leone and top prospect Alex Reyes (elbow) look like the top challengers to Gregerson's role, it's not difficult to envision Hicks entering the late-inning mix at some point in the second half. Though he's been developed as a starter through his first two seasons as a pro and has yet to pitch above the High-A level, Hicks' upper-90s fastball -- which touched the triple digits during the Arizona Fall League -- and above-average athleticism could allow him to find immediate success against upper-level competition while coming out of the bullpen. The Cardinals probably won't completely pull the plug on Hicks starting in the minors this season, but the erratic command he's shown up to this point in his development and a lack of quality secondary offerings makes it likely that he'll be destined for a high-leverage relief role in the long run.