Former Cardinals Top Prospect In Picture For Spring Training

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching depth took significant hits injury wise throughout the 2025 season.

Tekoah Roby, Cooper Hjerpe, and Sem Robberse all underwent surgeries and are working their way back. There have been questions about the club's pitching depth in the majors, which is why Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has been adamant that the club will add at least one veteran hurler this offseason.

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St. Louis' big league depth needs some help and there aren't a ton of options down in the minors either due to the injuries. While this is the case, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did have a positive injury update and noted that former top prospect Tink Hence is expected to be fully ready to go for Spring Training.

The Cardinals got a positive update

Feb 27, 2023; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Tink Hence (95) throws a pitch against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

"Two pitchers who had their 2025 seasons interrupted or erased by injury are both expected to be available from the start of spring training," Goold wrote. "Tink Hence, a right-hander who dealt with a series of injuries but no surgeries, has been placed on a training program to help his strength and durability. Bloom said the goal is to have Hence pitching 'wire to wire' in the coming season.

"Lefty Zack Thompson missed all of this past season with a shoulder ailment, and that lengthy stay on the injured list is why he remained with the club after it removed him from the 40-player roster. The Cardinals were prepared for Thompson to become a minor league free agent, but instead, he’s in the organization."

It's easy to forget about Hence. He has dealt with some injuries throughout his young professional career to this point, which stalled his momentum. But this is a guy who was just behind Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn in the Cardinals' prospect rankings in 2023 and then just behind Winn in 2024 before he graduated from the team's prospect rankings. He went from being the No. 1 prospect at one point to being the No. 13 prospect in 2025.

That's not because of his performance. He had a 2.71 ERA in 20 starts in 2024 in the minors and then followed up with a 2.95 ERA in eight starts in 2025. But the injuries -- which led to the eight starts -- are what made him almost forgotten.

While Hence isn't likely to be a big league option out of the gate, if he's healthy, he should be a Triple-A option right away in 2026 and then who knows what will happen.

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