Cardinals designate Tink Hence for assignment

Hence is not long removed from being an upper-echelon prospect, but he was limited to just 21 innings due to injury in 2025. Bernal is one of the top catching prospects in baseball but likely is a couple years away from making his debut.

Hence walked one, allowed one hit, and recorded a strikeout on a 94 mph fastball. He will continue to build up his pitch count before returning to the rotation for Triple-A Memphis.

Hence will likely be out of action throughout the month of April as he recovers from the injury. The 22-year-old is viewed as the top pitching prospect in the St. Louis system, and assuming good health, has a chance to make a few starts with the Cardinals before 2025 closes.

Hence will begin the season in Double-A, but he’ll likely see some time with Memphis in Triple-A relatively soon. The 22-year-old is one of the top prospects in the St. Louis system, and carries some potential fantasy relevancy if/when he makes his debut in 2025.

Hence gave up a 392-foot homer to Dominic Smith, but three of the five hits he allowed today did come on soft contact. The 22-year-old top prospect averaged 96 mph with his fastball. He’s not a candidate to make the Cardinals, but if he stays healthy, he could debut this summer.

Hence is arguably the highest profile prospect, especially from a fantasy persepctive, that needed to be added to a 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s reserve list deadline to protect him from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. the dynamic 22-year-old righty made significant strides last year in the upper minors, flashing some of the best stuff of any prospect in baseball, posting a stellar 2.71 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 109/26 K/BB ratio across 79 2/3 innings (20 starts) for Double-A Memphis. He’ll open next season on the doorstep of the majors and figures to force his way to St. Louis at some point.

After a seemingly normal first inning, Hence began the second inning with a groundout but threw four of the last six pitches in the dirt. He was met on the mound by the Springfield infield, his manager, and an athletic trainer before walking off the mound with the trainer. The Cardinals have not yet revealed any more information about the nature of his injury, but Cardinals’ fans and fantasy managers are holding their breath for good news on the Cardinals’ top pitching prospect.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters Thursday that Hence was lifted after just 35 pitches over two frames out of an abundance of caution. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern moving forward, but it’s nice to have confirmation that the top pitching prospect isn’t dealing with anything major. The 21-year-old righty has been impressive this season at Double-A Springfield and is a borderline top-10 pitching prospect for dynasty league managers at the moment.

Hence authored the most dominant performance of his career so far on Friday evening, scattering five hits and one walk over six stellar frames. There’s plenty of differing opinions on Hence within the prospect community regarding his ultimate upside, but the 21-year-old is going to make an impact at some point in the next few years for fantasy purposes. He’s a top-25 range starting pitching prospect for dynasty purposes moving forward.

Hence is regarded as one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects and has a chance to ascend to the big leagues later on this year. Gómez has put up massive power numbers in the upper minors, but has yet to get a chance at the highest level. Naughton is merely extra organizational pitching depth at this juncture of his career.