Cardinals Top Prospect Off To Hot Start; Could Debut Be Coming Soon?

A St. Louis rising star is making a name for himself in the minors

Feb 27, 2023; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Tink Hence (95) throws a pitch / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have struggled so far this season but fortunately, the pitching has improved from last year's tumultuous performance.

The rejuvenated rotation is holding its own and the bullpen has been dominant. Overall, the pitching staff looks a lot better than it did a year ago but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

In the wake of starting pitcher Steven Matz's shortened outing against the Detroit Tigers due to a nagging back injury, St. Louis' top prospect continues to make a case for his call-up to the show.

"Tink Hence was absolutely UNREAL tonight," Double-A Springfield posted on Tuesday. "The number one prospect goes a career-long seven innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Final line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 10 K."

Hence has posted a 3-0 record with a 2.10 ERA, 31-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .148 batting average against and a 0.74 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings pitched for Double-A Springfield so far this season.

The 21-year-old has looked untouchable in 2024 and is showing no signs of slowing down throughout the five games he's started.

Despite the recent injury update of Matz and the realization that the Cardinals' rotation could need some help if the left-hander is out for an extended period, it's unlikely to see Hence get the call-up to St. Louis.

If Matz is put on the injured list, the Cardinals will likely call up someone like Zack Thompson, who has experience pitching at the big-league level.

The question is -- how long will it take for St. Louis to call up Hence if he continues to dominate? Perhaps we will see the young hurler make his debut towards the end of the season, but for now he still has much to prove.

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