Cardinals’ top pitching prospect suffers worrying injury
One of the Cardinals future pitching stars has suffered an ominous injury scare.
As the St. Louis Cardinals think about the future of their pitching rotation, Tink Hence is at the front of their minds. However, the Cardinals organization is now holding their breath after Hence’s latest injury.
After throwing 29 pitches, Hence was removed from his Double-A start due to an undisclosed injury, via Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Dispatch. No official injury update has been given on the top prospect.
Hince was met on the mound by his catcher, manager and athletic trainer before being taken out. He walked off the field after just 1.1 innings pitched, allowing one hit and striking out one.
The Cardinals are in wait and see mode when it comes to any timetable. Until any information is released by the team, it’s hard to speculate how much/if any time needs to be missed. However, the fact that the injury caused him to leave the game in short order is not a promising sign.
Ultimately, St. Louis is more concerned about Hence’s development than their Double-A record. They won’t rush him back from injury and will do everything in their power to make sure his return to the mound is seamless.
For now, the Cardinals are waiting on bated breath for any update on Tink Hence. Their only hope is that he isn’t dealing with a long-term injury.
Still in Double-A, it seemed unlikely that Hence would get his MLB call in 2024. His new injury seems likely to make sure of that. But for all the pitching problems St. Louis has had, Hence will soon be ready to lead from the front.
His stats back the rankings up, as he holds a 2.71 ERA and a 109/26 K/BB ratio over his 20 starts in 2024. Over his entire minor league career, Hence holds a 3.28 ERA and a 303/78 K/BB ratio. He has posted some eye-opening numbers, the next step is having him face tougher and tougher competition.
The Cardinals spent their offseason bringing in pitchers such as Sonny Gray and Kyle Gibson. They then landed Erick Fedde at the trade deadline. All in all, it has led to St. Louis holding the 18th-best ERA at 4.15.
Come 2025, the Cardinals are hoping Hence can play a major role in their rotation. St. Louis knows they need a bit more firepower. But before they can think about the future, Tink Hence must first turn a clean bill of health. Both team and player will patiently wait to see what kind of injury timeline they’re dealing with.
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