Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Cardinals No. 3 Prospect Has Most Electric Rehab Outing Yet

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 2:00 PM ET

One of the St. Louis Cardinals' top prosepcts is still working his way back up to full speed.

Cardinals No. 3 prospect Tink Hence didn't make his season debut until May 21st. That was because he was dealing with a right rib cage strain that got him placed on the 60-Day Injured list. That's a painful injury. But, he's back on the mound now and hasn't allowed an earned run yet in four brief appearances.

Hence made his fourth rehab appearance on June 7th and it was his best yet for the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals. He went 2 2/3 innings and allowed just one base hit while striking out six batters. Hence got just eight outs and six of them were by strikeout.

Tink Hence faced 10 batters for Single-A @GoPBCardinals ... and struck out six of 'em

The @Cardinals' third-ranked prospect is up to seven scoreless rehab frames this season: pic.twitter.com/v6aC9Q5vm8
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2025

Overall this season, he has appeared in four games and has pitched seven innings so far. He hasn't allowed a run yet and has struck out nine batters over that span. Hence also has allowed five base hits, four walks, and hit one batter.

Hence is one of the most interesting players in the minors for the Cardinals. He's the No. 3 overall prospect for the club and is projected to make his big league debut in 2025. It's unclear how the delay from his injury will impact him, but he's been great in small bursts so far in his rehab assignment. Now, the question is just when will he start getting a bigger workload in these rehab outings?

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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