The St. Louis Cardinals have placed another top pitching prospect on the minor league 60-day injured list due to a right rib cage strain, as noted in the MiLB.com transaction log. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed the injury to Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat.
Ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Cardinals’ system by Baseball America, the 22-year-old right-hander is coming off an impressive 2.71 ERA over 20 starts in Double-A. Hence showcased dominant strikeout ability, posting a 34.1% strikeout rate against an 8.1% walk rate, though durability remains a concern—he averaged fewer than four innings per start, totaling 79 2/3 innings last season.
Baseball America believes Hence possesses the talent and command of a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, but he has yet to reach 100 innings in a single professional season. After missing a month midway through 2023, he is now set to miss at least the first two months of 2024. Once healthy, he will make his Triple-A debut.
The Cardinals added Hence to their 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. While he remains on the roster, placing him on the MLB 60-day IL would have opened a spot but also started his service clock, a move the team opted against.
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