In a move that was considered a formality but is now official nonetheless, the St. Louis Cardinals added top pitching prospects Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby to their 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s Rule-5 draft protection deadline. Right-hander Matt Svanson and outfielder Matt Koperniak were also added to the roster, while left-hander Drew Rom was outrighted to Triple-A Memphis, bringing the club’s current 40-man roster to 39.
Major League Baseball clubs had until 5 p.m. CST on Tuesday to protect any eligible players from this year’s Rule 5 draft, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 11 at MLB’s annual Winter Meetings in Dallas. Players are deemed eligible based on their age and when they first signed their initial professional contract; any player who signed at 18 or younger becomes eligible after five seasons, and any player who signed at 19 becomes eligible after four seasons.
Hence, drafted as the Cardinals’ second round pick in 2020, signed when he was 17. Roby, the Texas Rangers’ third round selection in 2020, signed at age 18.
That Hence and Roby were added to the Cardinals’ 40-man roster is not a surprise. This was an expected move, one that was essentially a given based on both pitchers’ pedigrees. Both were considered top 10 prospects within the organization ahead of the 2024 season, per The Athletic’s Keith Law, with Hence ranking third and Roby sixth. Baseball America recently published their top 10 Cardinals prospects heading into 2025 with the same rankings.
Neither Svanson nor Koperniak are ranked prospects, but both are coming off of strong seasons. Svanson, 25, was traded to the Cardinals from the Blue Jays in 2023 and worked as a reliever for Double-A Springfield in 2024, recording a 2.69 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 53 appearances. Koperniak played 122 games for Triple-A Memphis, where he set career-highs in average (.309), slugging percentage (.512), OPS (.882), doubles (28) and home runs (20). Koperniak, 26, was likely added for depth. Outside of their active roster, the Cardinals’ outfield is rather limited. Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, Michael Siani and Victor Scott II are the leading outfielders. Brendan Donovan is more than serviceable as a super utility player, and Alec Burleson can play in the corners when needed, though outfield is far from his natural position.
RHP Tink Hence, RHP Tekoah Roby, OF Matt Koperniak and RHP Matt Svanson have been added to the 40-player roster, which now stands at 39.
LHP Drew Rom cleared waivers and was outrighted to Memphis (AAA). pic.twitter.com/CHqR1zIlWp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 19, 2024
For Hence and Roby, it’s a question of how close are they to the majors. St. Louis wants to prioritize playing time for its young talent in 2025. That includes its starting pitching prospects, though a road for Hence and Roby is not nearly as clear. The Cardinals’ current projected rotation next year includes at least three veterans in Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas, with Steven Matz available to start or relieve. Andre Pallante, 26, also figures to be a lock to start next season after his 2024 campaign; Pallante logged a 3.56 ERA in 20 starts and had the lowest second-half ERA (3.47) of any Cardinals starting pitcher.
There are also other pitchers the Cardinals would like to see, some of which are potentially ahead of Hence and Roby. This includes 2021 first-round pick Michael McGreevy, who impressed in his limited time in the majors at the end of the season, and Gordon Graceffo, who made his big league debut in June last season and also notched a spot start for the Cardinals in July.
Both Graceffo and McGreevy were starters in Triple A, but St. Louis could use either pitcher in relief in the majors depending on need and availability. Rom missed the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery in May, but is on track for a healthy spring training. He is also a candidate for an opportunity next year. Zack Thompson, who has pitched in the majors at some point the last three seasons but is coming off a down year after spending the majority of the season in Triple A could also be back in the mix come spring.
The two big keys for Roby and Hence next year are health and consistency. Roby started the year with Double-A Springfield, but a shoulder injury limited him to just 10 starts, and he did not pitch at all from May 14 through August 27.
Hence made 20 starts for Springfield last season, though the Cardinals continued their long-established conservative usage of him. Of those 20 starts, Hence notched five or more innings just eight times. Sill, the 2024 season was arguably his most impressive yet. He struck out 109 hitters over 79 2/3 total innings and held opposing hitters to a .204 average, and was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year as a result.
That’s a baaaaaad man ⚡
Congratulations to Tink Hence on being named the 2024 Texas League Pitcher of the Year! He becomes just the second-ever Pitcher of the Year in franchise history joining Dakota Hudson (2017) after setting a career-high with 109 strikeouts.
Read more:… pic.twitter.com/Fwlx00nNNv
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) September 24, 2024
The minor leagues are the most logical place for Hence and Roby to start the 2025 season, though their assignments may vary. Triple A seems like a reasonable place for Hence to begin next year, based on his success in Springfield. Meanwhile, Roby could benefit from additional time in Double A after missing such substantial time last season. Either way, both pitchers will see plenty of opportunity come spring training, and their performances then will ultimately help decide their designation. The Cardinals’ emphasis on creating opportunities for their youth next year could expedite multiple prospects’ paths to the majors, and Hence and Roby are no exception.
St. Louis has other decisions to consider
The Cardinals have one more deadline approaching this week. MLB’s non-tender deadline is Friday. Teams must offer a promise of a contract (though the monetary amount does not need to be agreed on) to a player ahead of this deadline. Though players who are eligible for arbitration are the ones most impacted by this deadline, pre-arbitration players can also be non-tendered. Last year, the Cardinals non-tendered four players, including two pre-arb players in Jake Woodford and Juan Yepez. Players who are non-tendered immediately become free agents.
St. Louis has six players eligible for arbitration: Pallante, Nootbaar, Donovan, Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero and John King. Pallante, Nootbaar, Donovan and Romero will all have significant roles on next year’s roster and will be tendered a contract. The Cardinals must decide if they are going to trade Helsley, who will be in his final year of arbitration and is due for a major raise after notching the most saves (49) in the majors last season. He will still be tendered a contract regardless, but his future with the organization is a lot less clear after that. King, who is headed towards his second year of arbitration, was a reliable and durable reliever last year, posting a 2.85 ERA over 60 innings. St. Louis, however, must decide if that spot on the roster is better suited for one of its younger, unproven arms.
(Photo of Tekoah Roby: Chris Coduto / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
