Red Sox Still Waiting For Struggling Reliever To Reach Potential

It’s been nearly two months since the Boston Red Sox acquired Jordan Hicks from the San Francisco Giants in the Rafael Devers trade, but they’re still waiting for him to get in a groove and make the most of his hard-throwing ability.

It’s been a bumpy season for Hicks on both coasts. He struggled out of the gate with the Giants, going 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP and -0.8 WAR in 48 2/3 innings.

That was mostly as a starter before San Francisco moved him to the bullpen in mid-May. Then he got hurt in June, going on the injured list with right toe inflammation.

After being traded and missing nearly the entire month, Hicks debuted for the Red Sox on June 30. While he’s earned a pair of saves with Boston, his performance over the past six weeks has been inconsistent.

Hicks, who allowed two runs in an inning of work against the Houston Astros on Monday, has yet to show the improvement the Red Sox were hoping for. He’s continued to struggle out of the bullpen, posting a 6.23 ERA, a 5.95 FIP, a 1.69 WHIP and -0.6 WAR in 13 innings for Boston.

After trying him out in high-leverage spots, Alex Cora has shifted him to low-leverage spots while he works through his issues. However, the Red Sox need to start seeing better results from him before they can trust him down the stretch and potentially in the playoffs.

The 28-year-old righty is still under contract for two more years at $12.5 million per season, so Boston’s hoping he can be a key member of the pitching staff beyond 2025. He still has time to turn his season around and become a bullpen weapon for the Red Sox, but he needs to start making the most of his opportunities.