May 10, 2021 9:16 AM : Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Sunday that Hicks is now expected to be sidelined at least six weeks after he recently received a second opinion on his inflamed right elbow, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: When Hicks was placed on the IL on May 4, the Cardinals initially projected him to miss up to a month, but the right-hander's recovery timeline has since been pushed back following his most recent checkup. Hicks is slated to receive an injection in his elbow this week to address the inflammation, and if the shot has the desired effect, he'll begin a rehab program soon thereafter. Mozeliak noted that the six-week timeline is an estimate for when Hicks will resume baseball activities, so the 24-year-old will almost certainly require additional time beyond that to build up before the Cardinals are ready to activate him. With that in mind, Hicks could face an uphill battle to make it back from the IL before the All-Star break.