Red Sox Bullpen Weapon Hits Restart After Rough Stretch

Jordan Hicks knows his first appearances out of the Boston Red Sox bullpen have not gone as planned.

Acquired from San Francisco in the Rafael Devers trade, the right-hander was expected to bolster Boston’s late-inning relief corps. Instead, he has a 6.23 ERA in 14 appearances with as many walks and hit batters as strikeouts.

The team has shifted him into lower-leverage situations while he works through mechanical adjustments, as reported by Tim Healey of the Boston Globe.

Hicks believes part of the solution lies in trusting his own pitch selection. He has often deferred to his catcher’s calls for breaking balls in big spots rather than leaning on his fastball and sinker, which have been more effective.

“I need to take some ownership, throw the pitch I know is right and have that conviction,” Hicks said, as transcribed by Healey. “It all comes down to taking some ownership, throwing what I know is best in that situation and trusting myself.”

He is also reevaluating his breaking-ball mix. Hicks is considering eliminating his sweeper, which he feels overlaps with his slider and gives hitters too much time to adjust, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.

He prefers the firmer slider, believing it pairs better with his sinker and looks more like a fastball out of his hand.

Another priority is location. Both home runs he has surrendered with Boston came on pitches left in the middle of the plate.

Hicks is also working with the Red Sox pitching staff to determine which offerings produce the most weak contact and when to use them, according to Smith.

Manager Alex Cora told Healey the team still views Hicks as “a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

For now, Boston is banking on adjustments in pitch mix, sequencing and conviction to help him regain the late-inning role he was brought in to fill.