The Chicago White Sox made an intriguing trade with the Boston Red Sox as they acquired veteran pitcher Jordan Hicks and minor league pitcher David Sandlin for minor league pitcher Gage Ziehl. With Hicks being a major arm looking to bounce back from a rough 2025, he has shown the ability to pitch both as a starter and reliever. While things are still fluid, his role is critical to see how the White Sox will utilize their pitching staff. Let’s take a closer look at what Hicks said about his preference.
Jordan Hicks discusses that he is open to being either a reliever or a starting pitcher for the White Sox
Sep 3, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Jordan Hicks (46) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
While talking about what his projected role could be after being traded to the White Sox, pitcher Jordan Hicks made it clear that he is fine with either starting or coming out of the bullpen.
“I am fine with either role (starting or bullpen). I am feeling well and got it up to 99.5 MPH the other day with the velocity consistently 96 (MPH). I think we are on the same page (with GM Chris Getz) so we will see how the role ends up.”
Hicks split time between the San Francisco Giants and Red Sox in 2025 and pitched in different roles. With the Giants, he was primarily a starting pitcher last year while he only came out of the bullpen for the Red Sox. Overall, he pitched 34 games (nine starts) and was 2-7 with a 6.95 ERA and a 1.663 WHIP in 67.1 innings. As of this writing, Fangraphs projects Hicks to be coming out of the bullpen right now.
It appears that the White Sox could keep him stretched out a bit, but having the starting pitcher depth, they do not necessarily need Hicks in the starting lineup. With the bullpen needing help, Hicks appears to be better suited as a bullpen pitcher than a back-end starting pitcher for Chicago this season.
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