St. Louis Cardinals' oft-injured prospect removed from top-100 list

Since being drafted in the 2020 MLB Draft, St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tink Hence has thrown only 236 innings. He's averaged just 59 innings per year as a professional. For someone who was supposed to be a top starting pitching prospect in the organization, that won't do.

While Tink Hence has been dominant as a pitcher, he simply hasn't pitched enough. Hence has a career 3.28 ERA as a minor leaguer, and he's struck out 303 batters for a rate of 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings. That's an absurd figure, and it proves just how effective he can be as a pitcher.

Hence boasts a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, but his calling card is his changeup that dives arm side. In 2024, Hence's changeup had a 73% whiff rate.

There was a good chance that Hence would shine at the Triple-A level with Memphis this year and that he would be on the fast track to the majors by the end of the year. Instead of potentially making his debut this year, Hence is now waiting out an injury once again.

Hence started the year on the 60-day injured list due to a right rib cage strain during spring training. He will likely miss all of the International League's first half. He will now have to rebuild his strength over the summer to get ready to pitch once again. This is not the first time Hence has seen a setback due to an injury.

Tink Hence's lack of time on the field has caused him to be dropped off MLB Pipeline's Top-100 prospects list.

MLB Pipeline released an updated top-100 prospects list, and Tink Hence is no longer on the list. According to Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com, "Hence really needed a healthy 2025. He still hasn't thrown more than 96 innings in a season since the Cardinals took him 63rd overall in 2020, and lat/chest/shoulder issues held him to 79 2/3 frames in '24. He suffered a right rib cage strain before the season began and moved to the 60-day injured list in late March. As good as the stuff has looked, he needs to show he can stick to the mound to regain more solid Top 100 consideration."

Dykstra hit the nail on the head. When he's been healthy, Hence has been one of the best pitchers in minor league baseball. However, being on the field is just as important as being good while out there. If Hence can't prove that he can stay healthy, he doesn't necessarily deserve a spot on the top prospect list.

Hence turns 23 in August, so he still has time to prove that he can be healthy. If he can't show enough durability to make it as a starting pitcher, he could find himself relegated to relief duty. While this isn't ideal for Tink Hence personally, his stuff could seriously play up as a reliever. He can open up a bit more and hit triple digits without concern of facing the same batter multiple times in a game.

Tink Hence's removal from the list leaves the Cardinals with only two top-100 prospects: JJ Wetherholt (#20) and Quinn Mathews (#40). For an organization at the beginning of a reboot, having such lackluster prospect depth is worrisome.