Cardinals dealt tough blow as closer Jordan Hicks is diagnosed with torn UCL

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As Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel ramps things up in Triple-A preparing for his MLB season debut, another NL Central closer is headed for a major surgery. 

Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that closer Jordan Hicks has a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.

Hicks' injury is a devastating blow to the Cardinals bullpen, which ranks 10th in MLB with a 4.15 ERA entering action on Monday. The 22-year-old is one of the hardest throwing pitchers in baseball. His average sinker velocity in 2019 is 101.1 mph, with opponents hitting just .183 against it. His slider is even tougher to hit, with opponents batting just .154 versus that pitch.

Hicks hasn't been perfect (3.14 ERA, 29 appearances/28 2/3 innings), but he's been a reliable closer, converting 14 of his 15 chances. A bad month of May in which he allowed five earned runs in 7 1/3 innings hurt his ERA. Outside of that month, though, he's surrendered just five earned runs in 21 1/3 innings pitched.

The Cardinals said they're determining the next course of actions for Hicks, but torn UCLs require Tommy John surgery. If Hicks faces Tommy John, he likely will be out anywhere between 12 and 15 months, putting him on the shelf for the rest of 2019 and potentially all of the 2020 season.

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