Star-crossed Cardinals prospects fall victim to injury once again

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching depth continues to absorb blows in 2025, as the injured list has beckoned once again for two minor league pitchers who have struggled to remain healthy throughout their careers.

Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby were recently placed on the injured list.

Hence, who has been with Double-A Springfield this season, had only thrown 21.1 innings in 2025 because of a right rib cage strain that knocked him out at the beginning of the year and put him on the 60-day IL. In his brief action, Hence allowed five runs in 10.2 innings, striking out 14 batters. The Cardinals placed him on the 7-day IL on July 12 with an undisclosed injury.

Hence has displayed strong numbers when healthy, holding a 2.71 ERA with Springfield in 2024 and fanning an impressive 109 batters in 79.2 innings, but a clean bill of health has proven elusive for the right-hander, who also missed a month in 2024 with an injury. Many expected Hence to make the jump to Triple-A Memphis in 2025 and perhaps help the Cardinals by the end of the season, but that appears unlikely with medical issues cropping up again.

Formerly a top 100 prospect in baseball, Hence fell off of MLB Pipeline's list this season thanks to his repeated injury woes, and a move to the bullpen looks increasingly probable. It would be a disappointing outcome for the 22-year-old, but his nasty arsenal could point to a role as a closer in the future.

The Cardinals also sent Roby to the 7-day injured list. One of the Cardinals' acquisitions from the Texas Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery trade, Roby is another young pitcher who been bitten by the injury bug throughout his brief career. In 2023 with the Rangers' Double-A affiliate, Roby was hindered by shoulder injuries, and he managed only 10 starts in 2024 because of elbow impingements. Roby struggled when healthy last season, owning a 6.57 ERA in 38.1 innings.

It appeared that Roby had finally turned a corner in 2025: In 16 starts across Springfield and eventually Memphis after a promotion in June, Roby threw 78.1 innings with 87 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA. His curveball has received significant praise, as has his strong walk rate of 2.2 batters per nine innings.

If Roby's injury proves minor, he may be a candidate to earn a look in St. Louis this season, but the Cardinals will likely want him to solve Triple-A first, where he holds a 4.02 ERA and has allowed 33 hits in 31.1 innings.

Hence and Roby are both on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, and provided they remain there at the end of the season, they won't be eligible for another team to poach in the Rule 5 draft. The setbacks are discouraging, but the Cardinals appear committed to these two and want them to provide innings for the big league club down the road.