Jordan Hicks accepts move to bullpen but hopes to return to Giants rotation

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jordan Hicks is accepting his move to the San Francisco Giants bullpen but wants to return to the rotation.

Hicks signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Giants during the offseason with the intent of starting after primarily spending his first few seasons as a reliever. The 28-year-old right-hander was 1-5 with a 6.55 ERA in nine starts and the Giants decided to move Hicks to the bullpen in the middle of the season, as they did last year. Hayden Birdsong will take his rotation turn on Tuesday against Kansas City.

“I felt like I had a bad inning, and then on some days I felt like a lot of ground balls got through the infield,” Hicks said on Sunday. “I’m just going to live with it and take ownership. I didn’t have as great a start to the season that I wanted, but want to move on and help this team in the bullpen.”

A former closer for the Cardinals, Hicks has a 12.00 ERA in the first inning.

“In the bullpen, it’s the eighth inning, ninth inning and the game is on the line,” Hicks said. “The game is on the line from the first inning also. But it’s just a different environment, different feel.”

Birdsong has a 2.31 ERA in 11 relief appearances this season after starting 16 games last year.

Hicks’ 59.6% groundball rate is fourth in MLB among pitchers with 30 or more innings and his 3.75 expected ERA is nearly three points below his actual ERA. His 45.4% hard-hit rate would be a career-high.

“Jordan came in last year and signed here as a starter and came in here this year expecting to be a starter — and he was,” manager Bob Melvin said. “But we’re just making adjustments. A couple months into the season or a month after the season, we think it’s potentially going to make us better.”

Hicks had a 4.91 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Giants last season after being sent to the bullpen.

“I’m not giving up on myself,” Hicks said. “If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll happily take it. But at the same time, I really don’t have much control in the situation. I want to be a starting pitcher. That’s always what I wanted to do in the big leagues. It’s just not the time right now.”

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