Hicks is expected to throw around 45 pitches in his start Tuesday against the Royals, and he may not even reach that mark, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The Cardinals made the surprising decision to convert Hicks to a starting role this spring, sticking to that commitment despite suggestions from early in March that the shortened spring training may scrap those plans. Hicks does have 10 career relief outings of at least two innings, so he's no stranger to slightly extended appearances, but he's never gotten anywhere close to a true starter's workload at the big-league level. He won't get there Tuesday, either, which will make it all but impossible for him to secure a win.