March 7, 2025
The Cardinals
optioned Hence to Double-A Springfield on Friday.
ANALYSIS
The right-hander is one of the organization's top prospects and was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Hence was limited to 79.2 innings last season at Springfield due to back and lat discomfort, but he was dominant when available with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB. Returning to the Double-A level is a bit of a surprise, and it shouldn't be long before he's bumped up to Triple-A Memphis.