Cardinals' 40-man casualty in Quinn Mathews promotion is one nobody saw coming

One of the St. Louis Cardinals' top pitching prospects is set to make his debut on Aug. 1, as left-hander Quinn Mathews will get the nod against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Cardinals needed to clear a spot for Mathews on the 40-man roster, and their choice of whom to jettison sent shock waves throughout Cardinals Nation when STLtoday's Derrick Goold revealed that the team designated Tink Hence for assignment.

Drafted in the second round in 2020, Hence was a mainstay on top prospect lists for the Cardinals for the past six years, peaking as the team's No. 2 prospect in 2023 according to Baseball America. Although he stands at a slight (for a pitcher) 6-foot-1, Hence's fastball once stood in the mid-90s with above-average hop, and he complemented it with a strong curveball.

Notice the past tense in the above paragraph. Injuries have dogged at Hence for the past three seasons, and as a likely correlation, his average fastball velocity was down by 2 mph in his eight starts in 2025, losing break, extension and plane, and his didn't throw his curveball at all. His slider also lost some of its velocity and tightness. The only silver lining was that his top pitch, the changeup, remained intact.

The Cardinals had seemingly given up the ghost on Hence's future as a starter, but prior to 2026 several scouts still seemed bullish on Hence's ability to pitch out of the bullpen as a high-leverage arm. However, those hopes appear largely dashed, as Hence has thrown to a 6.64 ERA and holds a brutal mark of 18 walks allowed in 20.1 innings.

The Cardinals' decision to DFA Hence is a confounding one

Although Hence's career is spiraling, it's likely that if he hits the waiver wire, a team that still believes in his arm out of the bullpen will be happy to snap him up. The truly baffling part of this situation is the Cardinals' retention of Peter Strzelecki, whom the team signed off of the scrap heap on July 25 to help their relief corps during a brutal stretch of games. Strzelecki hasn't impressed thus far, allowing three earned runs in three innings, and at 31 years old, he's more than likely a finished product.

There's technically still a chance that Hence will remain in the system in the unlikely event nobody claims him off of waivers and he isn't traded, but those who still believe in Hence shouldn't hold their breath. President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom wasn't with the Cardinals when the team drafted Hence, and he must lack belief in the hurler who once displayed a sky-high ceiling. Still, it's a truly head-scratching move and one that comes with real risk if Hence can remain healthy and weaponize another team's bullpen.

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