Hence was lifted after just 1.1 innings in his start Wednesday with Double-A Springfield due to an apparent injury, John Denton of MLB.com reports. He gave up one hit and one walk and struck out one batter before departing.
In what was his final start of the regular season, Hence lasted just 29 pitches and was pulled after his control suddenly betrayed him. According to Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hence walked the final batter he faced on four pitches and threw four of his final six pitches of the night in the dirt, perhaps hinting at some sort of arm injury. Springfield will begin its postseason Tuesday, but it's unclear if Hence will be available following his early exit. He was brilliant when healthy for Springfield during the regular season, finishing with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB in 79.2 innings.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Strikes out four in return
Rotowire
Hence (shoulder/chest) allowed one hit and struck out four over 1.2 innings in Double-A Springfield's game Saturday versus Corpus Christi.
Hence missed a month while dealing with shoulder and chest tightness, so it makes sense the Cardinals will play it slow to avoid further damage for their top pitching prospect. Hence will likely continue to see short outings, and his injury troubles this year -- which have cost him the better part of two months -- could prevent him from reaching Triple-A before the end of the campaign.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Throws side session
Rotowire
Hence (undisclosed) threw a side session last weekend, but did not attend the Futures Game as he opted to focus on getting healthy and returning to action for Double-A Springfield, KY3 News reports.
He exited a June 5 start with what the Cardinals labeled as "cramping" and then pitched one inning June 23, but he has never been placed on the injured list despite throwing just three innings since the start of June. As an undersized, hard-throwing 21-year-old, Hence is at a high risk of arm injuries, so it makes sense for he and the team to focus on following the rehab process rather than appearing in the Futures Game. On the season, Hence had a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. He may have worn down last season, as he logged much worse stats across the board in the second half, although that also coincided with him getting bumped up to Double-A.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Exits Double-A start as precaution
Rotowire
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Thursday that Hence exited his start with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday after just two innings due to cramps, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Mozeliak referred to the move as "precautionary," although it's not clear whether Hence will be ready for his next scheduled start. The top prospect has been dynamite for Springfield in 2024, collecting a 3.19 ERA and 71:16 K:BB over 53.2 innings covering 11 outings.
Hence was promoted to Double-A Springfield on Saturday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The 20-year-old righty missed a month early in the year with chest/oblique tightness, but he still made 11 starts with High-A Peoria, logging a 2.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB in 41.2 innings. The last-place Cardinals haven't gotten much consistent production from their rotation members, outside of Jordan Montgomery, but it would still be a stretch for Hence to climb to the big leagues this season. If he stays healthy, he should figure prominently into the 2024 rotation mix.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Returns from minor-league IL
Rotowire
Hence (chest) was activated from the minor-league injured list Thursday at High-A Peoria.
Hence is scheduled to return to Peoria's starting rotation Friday after missing nearly a full month due to chest tightness. It sounds like the Cardinals were mostly playing things cautiously with the 20-year-old top pitching prospect, who has delivered a sparkling 2.12 ERA and 103:21 K:BB through his first 68 professional innings. He had logged two scoreless starts this season in High-A ball before landing on the IL.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Nearing return at High-A
Rotowire
Hence (chest) is expected to return to the rotation at High-A Peoria on Friday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hence has been on the minor-league injured list since mid-April due to chest tightness. The 20-year-old top prospect logged two starts with Peoria before hitting the shelf, working 7.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. He pitched to a brilliant 1.38 ERA and 81:15 K:BB over 52.1 innings last summer at Low-A Palm Beach.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Dealing with minor injury
Rotowire
Hence, who has been on the 7-day injured list at High-A Peoria, avoided serious injury after being bothered by chest tightness and could be activated soon, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
It's good to hear that Hence was dealing with a chest issue rather than an elbow or shoulder issue. He has not pitched since April 13 and was expected to throw high-intensity bullpen sessions this week. If he has remained on his scheduled throwing program, Hence could be activated in the first half of May.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Placed on minor-league IL
Rotowire
Hence (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list Tuesday at High-A Peoria.
Hence was pulled from his second start of the year last Thursday at Peoria after throwing a wild pitch and then promptly getting a visit from the training staff. There is no update as to the exact nature of the injury. It was downplayed initially and he had been scheduled to throw off a mound this week. The 20-year-old right-hander is a top-ranked prospect in the Cardinals' system.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Exits start with trainers
Rotowire
Hence (undisclosed) exited his start at High-A Peoria with trainers Thursday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hence worked 3.2 innings before athletic trainers visited him on the mound. He subsequently exited, though the nature of the injury is currently unclear.
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Cardinals' Tink Hence: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Hence was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Hence was a bit wild but very impressive during his first major-league camp. The Cards have been very careful with the 20-year-old's workload and that should continue in his likely move up to High-A Peoria to start the 2023 season.
Cardinals' Tink Hence: Concludes impressive 2022 season
Rotowire
Hence wrapped the 2022 campaign at Single-A Palm Beach with a 1.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 81:15 K:BB over 52.1 innings (16 starts).
While the 2020 second-round pick was treated with kid gloves by the Cardinals this year after pitching just eight innings in 2021, he looked incredible when on the mound. It's likely going to take several years for Hence to ramp up to a major-league workload, but the upside here is sky high.
Hence has a minuscule 1.15 ERA and 0.77 WHIP accompanied by a 53:10 K:BB through 10 starts (31.1 innings) for Single-A Palm Beach this season.
They've been stretching the 2020 second-round pick out slowly this year, as his last two outings have been his longest at four innings apiece. That makes sense, considering that Hence threw just eight pro innings last season and is seen as a relatively high-risk prospect due to his slender build and somewhat violent delivery. A few days away from his 20th birthday, Hence has obviously raised his stock this year, but questions will linger about his ultimate role until he's able to quiet them by pitching deeper into games. Of course, the Cardinals may not even let him try to do that until next season.
