The Boston Red Sox weren't immediately rewarded after the Rafael Devers trade — their offense has looked sluggish at best and decimated at worst, and none of their return players could immediately suit up in the big leagues.
However, the latter will change against the Cincinnati Reds this week. Reliever Jordan Hicks, one of Boston's four newest players in the wake of the blockbuster trade, is expected to make his Red Sox debut as soon as June 30.
The Red Sox targeted Hicks as a free agent before the 2024 season and finally got their man (for an insane price). He's been on the injured list since June 2 with toe inflammation and recently completed a rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester. He surrendered two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 1.2 innings.
Hick's big league stats from the first part of his season with the Giants also don't jump off the page. He's posted a 6.47 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 20 walks over 48.2 innings. San Francisco used him as both a starter and a reliever (nine of his 13 appearances this year have been starts), but the Red Sox plan to use him as a high-leverage option out of their bullpen. He also has some experience as a closer.
Red Sox expected to activate Jordan Hicks at some point during series against Reds
Jordan Hicks live BP in the Woo pic.twitter.com/iK1OfnK0Qa
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) June 19, 2025
The best season of Hicks' career came in 2023, when he logged a 3.29 ERA with 81 strikeouts over 65.2 innings between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. He had a slider in his arsenal that year, which the Red Sox organization helped him reintroduce before his impending activation. He also boasts a sinker, splitter and four-seamer, with which he reached 100 miles per hour on the radar gun during his rehab assignment in Worcester.
Hicks' activation comes at a critical time for the Sox. Fellow reliever Zack Kelly was pulled from Boston's June 29 game against the Blue Jays with oblique issues and is scheduled for an MRI to diagnose the extent of the injury. Kelly's expected IL stint makes for an easy roster move to get Hicks into action.
Hicks will be the first look at the Red Sox's returns for Devers in the big leagues. Hopefully, his revamped arsenal and status as a full-time reliever can help him get back on track, and at least one of the returns for Devers works out well for Boston.