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Cardinals' Heralded Prospect Drops Off Top 100 List Amid Absence

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jayden Pettus | Last updated May 12, 2025 8:41 PM ET

After starting the season on the 60-day IL, St. Louis Cardinals former top-100 prospect Tink Hence has fallen out of MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect List.

MLB.com's Sam Dykstra covered the updated list, mentioning Hence as one of three prospects dropping out of the top 100.

"Hence really needed a healthy 2025," Dykstra wrote.

He highlighted that Hence has yet to throw more than 96 innings in a full season due to his yearly struggle with injuries since joining the Cardinals' organization, writing, "As good as the stuff has looked, he needs to show he can stick to the mound to regain more solid Top 100 consideration."

Coming into the season, Hence was sitting at No. 76 on the Top 100 List, but according to Dykstra, the news of the righty sustaining a right rib cage strain during spring training was enough to take him out of consideration for the list.

The 22-year-old only totaled 20 starts for Double-A Springfield in 2024, but carried a 2.71 ERA with 109 strikeouts through 79 2/3 innings of work.

If Hence could work past the injuries, he could be something special, but it may be a while before Cardinals' fans see the flame-thrower in an MLB uniform until then.

Other Cardinals in the Top 100

Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt jumped from No. 23 to No. 20 on the list after starting the year with a .290 average in his first 22 games for the Double-A Cardinals. The 22-year-old shortstop has scored 12 times, walked 11 times, knocked in 10 runs, and picked up four doubles and a home run in just 78 at-bats so far this year.

Although the team's No. 2 prospect Quinn Mathews hasn't seen action with Triple-A Memphis since April 11, the southpaw moved from No. 45 to No. 40 on the list. The 24-year-old pitched to a 6.10 ERA in three April starts, allowing seven runs on 11 hits and 15 in 10 1/3 innings before hitting the 7-day IL on April 13.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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