Cardinals appear ready to throw in the towel regarding prospect's rotation hopes

It's hard to deduce which came first: the extinction of the dinosaurs or Tink Hence's emergence as a prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals drafted Hence with the 63rd overall pick in 2020, and the sky appeared to be the limit for the young pitcher straight out of high school. However, as injuries amassed over the years, the luster began to wear off of the highly touted hurler, and now, during spring training in 2026, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol has made a comment that could be a death knell for Hence's future in the Cardinals rotation.

Marmol said Hence will pitch as a reliever throughout spring training.

Hence was long tagged as a potential starter for the Cardinals, with the only issue being whether his slight (for a pitcher) 6-foot-1 frame would handle the rigors of the rotation. Those concerns now appear to be well founded, as the 23-year-old Hence has dealt with a myriad of injuries, including worrisome shoulder issues, and his future increasingly appeared to be in the bullpen. With Hence not starting any games during spring training, it appears that the Cardinals are prepared to make that a reality.

Moving Hence to the bullpen would allow him to contribute at some point during 2026, even if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster. With winning not being the Cardinals' main goal this year, it's important that young players receive chances to show what they can do at the highest level, and if Hence performs well, the Cardinals could attempt to stretch him out and allow him to try his hand in a rotation in following seasons.

Still, it seems that pitching in short bursts out of the bullpen would be the most beneficial to Hence's health, and it could allow his arsenal to creep up. He lost 2 mph of velocity on his fastball in 2025 and lost some of the tightness on his slider following his injuries, and he saw less movement on his pitches and less extension on the mound. In his first spring training appearance, his pitching metrics were not at the level that fans wanted to see. A healthy Hence has a chance to return to his past effectiveness, and that means the bullpen is likely beckoning.

With Hence potentially not an option for the Cardinals rotation in future seasons, the team will need to continue to draft and develop arms to emerge as competitors in the National League again. The Cardinals have made strides in that sector already, overhauling their staff and taking high-ceiling pitchers such as Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin in the 2025 draft, and if Hence's stuff does tick up in relief, the Cardinals could, at long last, hold some high-octane pitching in 2027 and beyond.