After elevating his game on the mound, one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects has been elevated, too.
On Monday, the Cardinals promoted right-hander Tekoah Roby to Class AAA Memphis from Class AA Springfield (Missouri). Another left shoulder injury for Drew Rom put him on the seven-day injured list, opening up a spot on the Redbirds’ roster.
In recent weeks, Roby positioned himself nicely for a promotion. He was named the Cardinals’ minor league pitcher of the month last week after putting together a stellar string of performances in May. In five appearances that month, he struck out 33 batters (to lead all qualified Cardinals minor leaguers) while walking just four.
Roby’s last start for Springfield — which came on Wednesday against the Frisco RoughRiders — was a gem. In 6 2/3 innings pitched, he struck out eight batters while allowing just one earned run.
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In 10 starts for the S-Cards, Roby is 4-2 with a 2.49 ERA. He has 57 strikeouts in 47 innings, and he’s allowed 34 hits.
After dealing with injuries for most of his minor league career, Roby has finally been able to stay healthy for an extended period, and his availability has translated to tangible success.
“Just being able to take the ball when I do, when my turn comes up in the rotation, it’s been fun,” Roby said on Friday. “It allows you to build confidence not only in your ability to pitch but also your ability to stay healthy.”
This will be Roby’s first stint at the Class AAA level.
Rincon, Hence, others elevated
Roby’s elevation was just one of a handful of moves made withing the Cardinals’ minor league ranks on Monday.
While Roby departed Springfield, the Class AA affiliate gained an arm with the addition of right-hander Hancel Rincon from High-A Peoria. In his second season at Peoria, Rincon tallied a 4.22 ERA in 49 innings pitched.
Right-hander Tink Hence, who remains in the midst of a rehab stint with Low-A Palm Beach, moved up to High-A Peoria on Monday. In three appearances with Palm Beach, the Cardinals’ No. 3 prospect didn’t allow an earned run in six innings. This will be Hence’s first stretch with Peoria since June 2023, as he spent all of last year and much of 2023 with Springfield.
Jason Savacool, a sixth-round pick in 2023, has been elevated to Peoria in the midst of his third season with Palm Beach. In 11 appearances this season, Savacool sports a solid 1.61 ERA. In his past two appearances, the right-hander allowed just two earned runs in 12 innings pitched.
Finally, Jacob Odle was transferred from the Florida Complex League to Palm Beach. He’s allowed four earned runs in 8 and 2/3 innings pitched this season. However, all four of those runs came in his last outing against the FCL Nationals on Friday. He hadn’t allowed a hit in each of his previous three outings, which spanned six innings.
In today’s 10 AM “Ten Hochman” video, Ben Hochman discusses the recent play of Cardinals’ top prospect JJ Wetherholt! Plus a happy birthday shoutout to Michael J. Fox! And as always, Hochman picks a random Cards card out of the hat!
Benjamin Hochman | Post-Dispatch
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