The Giants announced that they have right-handed Jordan Hicks on the 15-day injured list with inflammation of the right shoulder. Right-handed Austin Warren was cited as a step in this direction. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the details before the official announcement (X-Link one and two).
Hicks warmed up during Friday’s game but ultimately did not participate in the contest. He later said, according to Slusser, that he felt a “tingling” in his arm during preparation, despite remaining with the club throughout the weekend. He appeared in Saturday’s game, but at a reduced rate. His sinker normally averages between 96 and 97 mph, but was around 94 in his last appearance, according to Statcast. It now appears that the club has decided to give him some time to rest and heal.
It’s unclear how long Hicks will be out, but it’s a blow to pitchers nonetheless. Hicks has been in the starting lineup for most of the year, but he seemed to run out of steam as his results dropped over time. He had a 3.01 earned run average after his June 11 start, but then posted a 6.83 ERA from June 17 through July 28. He’s been in a bullpen role lately, with six scoreless outings to start the month of August before allowing an earned run in his Saturday appearance.
At the beginning of the month, the club Randy Rodriguez on the injured list. Today Robbie Ray joined him, and now Hicks is being benched as well. The Giants are 66-66 and clinging to survival in the National League wild card race. They are 5.5 games out of a spot, but would need to overtake at least three teams while keeping the clubs directly behind them in check. That will be more difficult now that some key players have been taken off the team.
Warren, 28, underwent Tommy John surgery with the Angels in May of last year, and the club designated him for assignment in February. Because injured players are not allowed to be placed on waivers, he was released and signed a major league contract with the Giants. Still recovering from the surgery, the Giants placed him on the 60-day injured list in February when they Jorge Soler.
He was activated from the 60-day injured list in July, retaking his spot on the 40-man roster, but was reassigned to the minor leagues. He has thrown 20 Triple-A innings this year, posting a 4.95 ERA but better peripherals. He has struck out 26.1% of the batters he faced, walking 6.8% of them, and hitting 41.2% grounders. A .327 batting average on balls in play, a 63% beach rate, and a 17.6% home run-to-fly ball rate have helped score some extra runs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
