The early returns from the Giants’ recent rotation swap certainly seem promising. Hayden Birdsong, who made his first start of the season after replacing Jordan Hicks in the starting five, allowed onl

Hayden Birdsong showed the San Francisco Giants brass why he belongs in the starting rotation in their 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. In

Hicks signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Giants in January 2024 to join the team as a starter after spending years with the St. Louis Cardinals as a reliever. The right-hander started hot (1.59 ERA in April) but transitioned to the bullpen by late July as the innings added up and fatigue set in.

Jordan Hicks began his Major League Baseball career with lofty expectations. One of the top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals system and a top-100 prospect in the sport, Hicks hit the Bigs in 2018 at age 21,

Not only were Zebby Matthews, Mick Abel and Noah Cameron called up, finding varying degrees of success, but the Giants also announced that flamethrower Hayden Birdsong would be shifting from the bullpen to the starting rotation.

That's a problem for down the line. Right now, the Giants are going game by game, and on Tuesday, Melvin planned to get as much as he could out of his two young pitchers. He is learning more about Harrison with every relief outing, and there's no doubt in his mind about what's ahead for Birdsong.

The Giants are still quite far from turning these young, superlative fastballs into sustainable success but the early signs are promising.