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A's Could Pursue High-Upside Reclamation in Former Top St. Louis Cardinals Prospect
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- A's Could Pursue High-Upside Reclamation in Former Top St. Louis Cardinals Prospect
(Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
The A's have had a knack for bringing in guys with command issues and giving them a shot to have success. It's not very often that those players were top-100 prospects as recently as the previous season.
That is the situation the A's could find themselves in with right-hander Tink Hence , who was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Hence was a second-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, and was a consensus top-100 prospect from 2023-25, reaching as high as No. 38 according to Baseball Prospectus before the 2025 campaign.
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When the A's were looking to trade Sean Murphy after the 2022 season, Hence was a prospect that was put in a lot of hypothetical trade packages. He's had the talent for a while, but he's still looking to make it click.
The 23-year-old has been sidelined by injuries , including a lat strain, chest tightness, and shoulder problems. He was only able to accumulate 21 ⅓ innings last season, half of which came in Double-A, though he made eight starts and held a 2.95 ERA. Up until this season, when he'd been healthy, he'd been productive.
This season he has racked up 20 ⅓ innings and holds a 6.64 ERA while pitching in Triple-A Memphis for the first time. He's also been largely pitching in relief, making 19 appearances with three outings serving as the opener.
His strikeout rate — which has hit above 30% a number of times in his minor-league journey — has slumped to 20.2% this season out of the bullpen, while his walk rate has been an unsustainable 18.2%.
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Given that he's already been DFA'd, there will be teams clamoring for their own shot and making things click with Hence. He's still young, and certainly has the skills to succeed. There is some risk involved here, because an acquiring team will likely be bidding against other clubs for Hence, but for the A's, that risk is worth it.
He represents the kind of post-hype, high-upside arm that the club needs more of in the farm system. While the injuries are a concern, Hence's two option years (2026, 2027) do create some time for the A's to try him as a starting pitcher again. By 2028, he'd be out of options, forcing a decision on his future with the club.
Hence's circle change is his best weapon, and helps him achieve a 45.6% ground-ball rate. Kade Morris (56.1%), Joel Kuhnel (48.8%), and J.T. Ginn (46.8%) are the only pitchers with the A's this season with a higher ground ball rate.
They could have him start in Midland, get settled, then move up to Las Vegas for the real test. If things don't go well, then he could go back to relief work, where the A's could also use some help.
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For the A's, Hence represents a calculated bet on a pitcher who still has time to deliver on his prospect pedigree. The window for him is narrow, but at 23 with at least a pair of high-end offerings, the righty has the stuff to be another reclamation success story.
