Cap set at 50 pitches in spring Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Tuesday that he hopes for Hicks (elbow) to build up in the neighborhood of 50 pitches during spring training, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News... Impact At least for the time being, the Cardinals are allowing Hicks to compete for a starting role with the big club, but Marmol's comments imply that the right-hander will likely have to be deployed as more of an opener or piggyback option to begin the season if he does in fact crack the Opening Day rotation. Though Hicks reported to camp healthy, the Cardinals are easing him along slowly after recurring elbow trouble limited him to just 13 appearances between the majors and minors in 2021. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Hicks revealed Tuesday that he was dealing with a "minor tear" in his elbow, though he healed quickly following a few platelet-rich plasma injections and was able to pitch at the Arizona Fall League, where his fastball topped out at 100 miles per hour. In an effort to avoid further stress on his arm, Hicks said he believes the 96-to-98-mph range may be the sweet spot for his velocity moving forward, especially if he wants to work as a starter. If the Cardinals decide to scrap the starting experiment, Hicks would still be in good shape to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever.
MARCH 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
