Hence (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Springfield on Saturday.
Hence didn't make his season debut until late May as he recovered from a right rib cage strain, but it's not clear whether this latest trip to the IL is a recurrence or a different injury. The 22-year-old has been limited to just 21.1 innings in 2025, allowing five runs with a 14:6 K:BB over 10.2 frames during his time with Springfield.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Part of combined no-no at Double-A
Rotowire
Hence struck out eight over 4.1 scoreless innings as part of a combined no-hitter in Double-A Springfield's win over Corpus Christi on Friday.
Hence was making his first start for Springfield after five rehab outings as he came back from a right rib cage strain. He faced the minimum in his 4.1 frames, with his leadoff walk in the fourth inning immediately getting erased on a caught stealing. Zane Mills, Austin Love and Sean Harney followed Hence to complete the no-no. Hence got his pitch count up to 66 in the encouraging outing and will continue to build up his stamina.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Activated and sent to Double-A
Rotowire
The Cardinals activated Hence (ribs) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and transferred him from Triple-A Memphis to Double-A Springfield.
Hence got a late start to the season due to a right rib cage strain, but he's made five rehab starts, allowing two runs with a 10:7 K:BB over 10.2 innings. The top prospect will now join the rotation at Springfield, where he held a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB over 79.2 frames in 2024.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Cleared for rehab assignment
Rotowire
Hence (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Palm Beach on Wednesday.
Hence has been sidelined all season with a right rib cage strain but has finally been cleared to test things out in game action. The top prospect will eventually move up to Triple-A Memphis but will be brought along slowly, given his injury history.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: On Triple-A IL with rib cage strain
Rotowire
Hence will begin the season on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis with a right rib cage strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
It's not clear how much time Hence might miss, but the good news is that the injury isn't related to his pitching arm. The 22-year-old has some of the best stuff in all of the minors but has struggled to stay healthy, having never reached 100 innings in a season. Hence posted a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB over 79.2 frames at Double-A Springfield in 2024.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Sent to Double-A
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Hence to Double-A Springfield on Friday.
The right-hander is one of the organization's top prospects and was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Hence was limited to 79.2 innings last season at Springfield due to back and lat discomfort, but he was dominant when available with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB. Returning to the Double-A level is a bit of a surprise, and it shouldn't be long before he's bumped up to Triple-A Memphis.
Cardinals' Tink Hence: No limitations in spring training
Rotowire
Hence will enter spring training without limitations after he threw just 79.2 innings in 2024 due to back and right lat discomfort, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hence had to be pulled early from a couple starts in June and then missed nearly a month around midseason due to the injury. He also exited his final outing of the season with another injury, although it's unclear if the same back/lat issue was the culprit. Durability is the only real negative with Hence's outlook, as he also missed time in 2023 with tightness in his chest and neck area. The 22-year-old was superb in 2024 when on the mound, posting a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB over 79.2 frames with Double-A Springfield. Hence was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this offseason and should begin 2025 in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis.
Cardinals' Tink Hence: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Cardinals selected Hence's contract from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday.
Hence has had trouble staying on the mound, having never reached 100 innings in a season. He was terrific over his 79.2 frames in 2024, however, collecting a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB with Springfield. Hence is now protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Suffers injury Wednesday
Rotowire
Hence was lifted after just 1.1 innings in his start Wednesday with Double-A Springfield due to an apparent injury, John Denton of MLB.com reports. He gave up one hit and one walk and struck out one batter before departing.
In what was his final start of the regular season, Hence lasted just 29 pitches and was pulled after his control suddenly betrayed him. According to Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hence walked the final batter he faced on four pitches and threw four of his final six pitches of the night in the dirt, perhaps hinting at some sort of arm injury. Springfield will begin its postseason Tuesday, but it's unclear if Hence will be available following his early exit. He was brilliant when healthy for Springfield during the regular season, finishing with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB in 79.2 innings.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Strikes out four in return
Rotowire
Hence (shoulder/chest) allowed one hit and struck out four over 1.2 innings in Double-A Springfield's game Saturday versus Corpus Christi.
Hence missed a month while dealing with shoulder and chest tightness, so it makes sense the Cardinals will play it slow to avoid further damage for their top pitching prospect. Hence will likely continue to see short outings, and his injury troubles this year -- which have cost him the better part of two months -- could prevent him from reaching Triple-A before the end of the campaign.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Throws side session
Rotowire
Hence (undisclosed) threw a side session last weekend, but did not attend the Futures Game as he opted to focus on getting healthy and returning to action for Double-A Springfield, KY3 News reports.
He exited a June 5 start with what the Cardinals labeled as "cramping" and then pitched one inning June 23, but he has never been placed on the injured list despite throwing just three innings since the start of June. As an undersized, hard-throwing 21-year-old, Hence is at a high risk of arm injuries, so it makes sense for he and the team to focus on following the rehab process rather than appearing in the Futures Game. On the season, Hence had a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. He may have worn down last season, as he logged much worse stats across the board in the second half, although that also coincided with him getting bumped up to Double-A.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Exits Double-A start as precaution
Rotowire
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Thursday that Hence exited his start with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday after just two innings due to cramps, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Mozeliak referred to the move as "precautionary," although it's not clear whether Hence will be ready for his next scheduled start. The top prospect has been dynamite for Springfield in 2024, collecting a 3.19 ERA and 71:16 K:BB over 53.2 innings covering 11 outings.
Hence was promoted to Double-A Springfield on Saturday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The 20-year-old righty missed a month early in the year with chest/oblique tightness, but he still made 11 starts with High-A Peoria, logging a 2.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB in 41.2 innings. The last-place Cardinals haven't gotten much consistent production from their rotation members, outside of Jordan Montgomery, but it would still be a stretch for Hence to climb to the big leagues this season. If he stays healthy, he should figure prominently into the 2024 rotation mix.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Returns from minor-league IL
Rotowire
Hence (chest) was activated from the minor-league injured list Thursday at High-A Peoria.
Hence is scheduled to return to Peoria's starting rotation Friday after missing nearly a full month due to chest tightness. It sounds like the Cardinals were mostly playing things cautiously with the 20-year-old top pitching prospect, who has delivered a sparkling 2.12 ERA and 103:21 K:BB through his first 68 professional innings. He had logged two scoreless starts this season in High-A ball before landing on the IL.
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