St. Louis Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincón’s hectic big-league stint is already over, at least for now.
Less than 48 hours after a viral incident involving his hat and veteran umpire Doug Eddings, the Cardinals optioned Rincón to Triple-A on Sunday. The demotion had nothing to do with the hat controversy, as the Cardinals simply needed another bullpen arm and Cooper Hjerpe fit the bill, hat pun not intended.
Rincón had one of the ugliest debuts we’ve seen this season in Friday’s comeback victory over the Rockies. After retiring the first opposing hitter, he allowed a triple, an inside-the-park home run, and a single before Oli Marmol called Justin Bruihl to finish the inning.
Whether we see him in the big leagues again this year or don’t hear from him until spring training, here’s what you need to know about Rincón.
St. Louis Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincón’s scouting report and information
Born in the Dominican Republic, Rincón signed with the Cardinals as a 16-year-old prospect in 2019. He spent his first few years gradually climbing through the club’s farm system, though he lost the 2020 season because of the COVID pandemic. Surprisingly, he didn’t appear on the Cardinals’ top-30 prospect lists from any of the three recognized outlets: MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, or ESPN.
Initially a starting pitcher, Rincón had mixed results after moving to the bullpen this season. He’d spent nearly the entire 2026 season at Triple-A, going 6-6 with a 4.04 ERA and an 88-31 K-BB ratio over 71.1 innings at Memphis. The good news is that his 11.0 strikeout percentage is the best of his seven-year minor-league career, and it may have helped put him on the team’s radar.
However, his 3.9 percent walk rate is significantly above his 2.7 average, as is his 1.3 home run percentage. Maybe we’re being overly harsh, but it’s currently difficult to get excited about his big-league future. Given his control issues, he profiles as a depth bullpen arm at best, and that’s assuming he even stays on the 40-man roster.
Our cynicism has nothing to do with his fashion sense. You never want to see any pitcher’s walk rate skyrocket, much less a middling prospect who turns 25 next April. There’s only so much wiggle room for a pitcher who can’t consistently hit the strike zone, even if they’re capable of notching strikeouts.
Selfishly, we hope Rincón gets another chance in the majors, if only to lower his 47.25 ERA. Ideally, he’d also get to pitch while wearing his hat however he wants, too. There are far worse things to do with your uniform than rocking a sideways cap.
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