Quinn MLB Debut - Tink Hence DFA'd
Posted: August 1 26, 10:14 am
To make room on the 40 man; Tink Hence has been designated for assignment.
Svanson has been optioned to Memphis to make room on the ML roster.
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Baseball America and MLB Pipeline each still rank Hence 28th in their rankings of the top 30 St. Louis prospects, and it seems quite likely that the Cardinals will swing a deal for Hence before Monday’s trade deadline. Still, Hence’s star has certainly dimmed over the last couple of years due to injuries, including a lat strain, chest tightness, and shoulder problems.
The Cards have mostly used Hence as a reliever at Triple-A Memphis this season as a way of keeping him healthy, yet Hence has struggled to a 6.64 ERA and an 18.2% walk rate over 20 1/3 innings. This season marked Hence’s first stint in Triple-A ball, and he has struggled mightily with his control and at keeping the ball in the park, as he has allowed four homers in his small sample size of work.
Hence doesn’t turn 24 until later this week, so it is possible he might be getting a change of teams as a birthday present. If a trade doesn’t materialize, certainly some team will be willing to use a 40-man roster spot on Hence to see if their pitching lab can help him get back on track. Speculatively, the Angels and interim GM John Mozeliak might have interest, as Mozeliak was running the St. Louis front office when Hence was drafted.
Mathews, 25, is one of the club’s top pitching prospects. The Cards drafted him with a fourth-round pick in 2023, out of Stanford. He made his professional debut in 2024 and impressed. He went through four levels, starting the season at Single-A and ending up at Triple-A. On the whole, he logged 143 1/3 innings that year with a 2.76 earned run average. He struck out 35.4% of batters faced, gave out walks at an 8.6% pace and induced grounders on 46.9% of the balls in play he allowed.
That put him on the cusp of the majors and also vaulted him up prospect lists. He was a consensus top 100 guy going into 2025, with Baseball America putting him at #41. But last year was a step back for him. A shoulder injury put him on the minor league injured list for about six weeks in April and May. After coming back from the IL, his velocity was down and he lost the zone. He finished the year with a 3.73 ERA in 99 innings. He still had a healthy 26.1% strikeout rate and 48.1% grounder rate but he walked a ghastly 16.8% of batters faced. For reference, the major league average for a starting pitcher is usually in the 8-9% range.
That performance got him knocked off top 100 lists coming into 2026. He has been on a good trajectory this year but with the control still an issue. He has thrown 92 innings over 19 Triple-A starts with a 3.13 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 48% ground ball rate and 14% walk rate.
For what it’s worth, the command has seemingly been improving. Dating back to the start of June, Mathews has made nine starts with a 1.55 ERA while only walking 9.9% of opponents. That’s a small sample size and still a high number but obviously an improvement. Concerns about the wildness will probably linger for a while but there’s still a lot to like. Baseball America currently ranks him the #11 prospect in the system. MLB Pipeline has him at #7.