The St. Louis Cardinals have made a roster decision involving rookie right-hander Hancel Rincon just days after his controversial encounter with home-plate umpire Doug Eddings during his major-league debut.
Rincon, 24, was among the players called up from Triple-A Memphis when MLB rosters expanded to 28 players on Tuesday. The promotion gave the young pitcher an opportunity to make his first appearance in the majors, but his debut quickly became overshadowed by an unusual confrontation with Eddings.
Rincon entered Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the sixth inning. He had already worked through two batters and was in the middle of a 2-0 count against another hitter when Eddings instructed him to fix the position of his cap.
The rookie had been wearing the bill of his hat off to one side. After complying with the umpire’s request, Rincon returned to the mound and immediately found himself in trouble, surrendering an inside-the-park home run to Rockies center fielder Cole Carrigg.
Rincon ultimately faced four batters before the Cardinals replaced him with a reliever. The sequence also sparked frustration from Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, who was unhappy with how the situation had unfolded. Marmol continued arguing with Eddings during the pitching change and was subsequently ejected.
The unusual incident became even more prominent the following day. Several Cardinals players appeared to protest Eddings’ treatment of their rookie teammate by wearing their hats tilted to the side. According to the Cardinals’ broadcast, some Rockies players also adopted the same style, turning what began as a confrontation between an umpire and pitcher into a broader storyline involving both teams.
Before Saturday’s game, Eddings apologized directly to Rincon for his actions from the previous night.
Rincon returned to the mound that evening, again pitching the sixth inning, but his difficult weekend continued. He gave up four runs on two hits and a walk while recording his first major-league strikeout.
Across his two appearances in Denver, Rincon struggled to find consistency. He finished the weekend having surrendered seven earned runs in just 1⅓ innings, with one walk and one strikeout. Although his brief major-league stint produced disappointing numbers, the timing of Friday’s confrontation raised questions about whether the incident may have affected the rookie’s performance.
The Cardinals ultimately decided not to keep Rincon in the majors. Before Sunday’s game, the organization optioned him back to Triple-A Memphis.
Taking his place on the major-league roster is left-handed pitcher Cooper Hjerpe, another highly regarded arm within the Cardinals organization.
Hjerpe, 25, was selected by St. Louis in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft but has experienced significant setbacks during his development. Most notably, he missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Since returning to action earlier this season, however, Hjerpe has shown encouraging form at Memphis. In five starts covering 19 innings, he posted a remarkable 0.95 ERA while striking out 27 batters and issuing 17 walks.
The numbers highlight both sides of Hjerpe’s pitching profile. He has historically been capable of generating plenty of strikeouts but has also struggled with command, making the unusually low ERA particularly noteworthy. Some control issues can be expected as pitchers work their way back from Tommy John surgery, so the Cardinals will hope his command improves with continued work at the major-league level.
Hjerpe now joins a Cardinals club fighting to remain in the National League playoff picture. With St. Louis sitting at 70-70, the organization is attempting to mount a late push for the third National League Wild Card position.
For Rincon, meanwhile, the immediate objective will be to return to Memphis, regain his confidence and continue developing after an eventful introduction to the majors. His debut weekend may have been overshadowed by the controversy involving Eddings, but the Cardinals’ decision to send him back to Triple-A gives the rookie an opportunity to reset and work toward another opportunity in St. Louis.
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