The Cardinals’ weekend roster shakeup brought Quinn Mathews to the majors, but the move came with a notable casualty.
St. Louis officially selected LHP Quinn Mathews from Memphis (AAA) on Saturday, and he’ll make his MLB debut as the day’s starting pitcher. Mathews had been trending toward the call after reports earlier in the week pointed to his promotion, and the Cardinals made it official with a brief announcement.
To clear space, the club also sent RHP Matt Svanson back to Memphis and designated RHP Tink Hence for assignment.
“In corresponding moves, RHP Matt Svanson has been optioned to Memphis,” the Cardinals announced. “RHP Tink Hence has been designated for assignment.”
Svanson’s demotion wasn’t much of a surprise. He’s posted a 7.27 ERA across 41 big-league appearances this season and has been worth -1.3 wins above replacement. He had already been optioned earlier this year, and after a strong rookie campaign in 2024 - when he put up a 1.94 ERA in 39 appearances - he hasn’t been able to find that same level again.
The decision on Hence, though, is the one that stands out.
The 23-year-old right-hander once carried a very different kind of buzz. In 2024, after Masyn Winn graduated from prospect status, Hence was the Cardinals’ No. 1 overall prospect.
That ranking reflected the upside he’d flashed early in his career. He broke in professionally in 2021 with eight games, then turned in a 1.38 ERA in 16 starts for Class-A Palm Beach in 2022.
A year later, he posted a 4.31 ERA and climbed to Double-A, putting him just two steps from the majors. In 2024, he followed with a 2.71 ERA in 20 Double-A starts.
But the trajectory has gone the other way since then. Injuries have been the major theme, and his workload has thinned out.
In 2025, he had a 2.95 ERA in only eight appearances. This season, after moving to the bullpen, he struggled to a 6.64 ERA in 19 outings before the DFA.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that the move gives St. Louis a few days to look into trades before the deadline.
There was a point when Hence looked like a future anchor for the Cardinals’ rotation. Now, his run with the organization appears to be in serious jeopardy.
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