ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - As he continues his injury rehab, fireballer Jordan Hicks is looking good but "taking it rightfully slow," according to Cardinals manager Mike Shildt on KMOX Sunday.
What is that, like, a mid-90's fastball for Hicks?
Just kidding. Kind of.
"With the smaller chance of a minor league season starting, that would impact, a little bit, of a Jordan being able to get ready in a highly competitive setting," Shildt told me. "But we'll see what that looks like when we return to play."
Let's go back in time for a moment. The Cardinals won the NL Central title -- and the NLDS against the Braves -- without Hicks, their closer. What could they do with him?
For now, they like what they're seeing and hearing from the 23-year-old... who skipped from Class A-Advanced to the big leagues before his season-ending injury a year later. He's just scratching the surface and the Cardinals have plenty of time to be patient.
But the exact start of baseball during the coronavirus pandemic clearly an unknown -- and changing day by day -- no timeline has been established for Hicks' return to the roster.
"The track is still to be determined," Shildt said.