Hancel Rincon, who has piled up 50 of his 88 strikeouts against left-handed hitters this season for Triple-A Memphis, is set to be called up to the Cardinals before their series against the Dodgers. Rincon, a right-hander, has reverse splits and has held lefties to a .174 batting average in 2026.
A bullpen can never have too many relievers who thrive against left-handed hitters, and that’s one reason the Cardinals are excited about having Hancel Rincon on their roster prior to facing Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker and the back-to-back champion Dodgers.
Rincon, 24, is a hard-throwing right-hander with reverse splits, meaning he actually does better against lefties than same-sided hitters. In 42 games with Triple-A Memphis this season, left-handed hitters have batted just .174 against him with 50 strikeouts compared to just 14 walks. Also, Rincon became the first Cardinals Minor League pitcher to record an immaculate inning -- three outs on nine strikes -- since Jake Woodford (Aug. 16, 2016) earlier this season in Triple-A.
With rosters expanding to 28 today, the Cardinals are promoting catcher Leo Bernal and Rincon to their Major League roster for what will be their MLB debuts when they get into games. Bernal, 22, is the Cards’ No. 7-rated prospect by MLB Pipeline, while Rincon isn’t among the top 30 prospects.
A Cardinals team that has been hit hard by injuries recently with position players Masyn Winn (fractured left thumb), JJ Wetherholt (right wrist tendinitis) and Blaze Jordan (left ankle sprain) and pitchers Andre Pallante (right elbow inflammation), Hunter Dobbins (right forearm tightness) and Peter Strzelecki (right forearm extensor inflammation) going on the Injured List. The Cards (68-70) have lost seven of 10 to drop five games back of the final Wild Card slot in the National League Playoff chase.
The Cardinals beat the Dodgers two times in a three-game series at Busch Stadium from May 1-3. They pushed their winning streak to a season-best six during that series to get as high as six games over .500. The Cardinals got as high as nine games over .500 four different times – 27-18 on May 16, 28-19 on May 19, 37-28 on June 10 and 40-31 on June 16 – before seeing their play drop off precipitously over the second half of the season.
They dropped each of their first six series after the break for the MLB All-Star Game, but they rallied to win the next five series over the Yankees, Rockies, Phillies, Cubs and Reds. However, after losing two of three to the Pirates last weekend at Busch Stadium, they begin their three-city, nine-game road trip having dropped their past three series.
Rincon, a native of Los Llanos, Dominican Republic, has been in the Cardinals organization since January of 2019 when he signed an international free agent contract. He systematically worked his way through the chain, going 9-6 in 2023 at Single-A Palm Beach and 9-7 at High-A Peoria in 2024. After pitching to a 3.92 ERA in 2025 at Double-A Springfield, he was promoted to Triple-A Memphis this season.
He has posted a 6-6 record with a 4.04 ERA in 41 games, 38 of them where he worked as a reliever. Over 71 1/3 innings pitched, he has struck out 88 batters while holding the opposition to .223 hitting. He won International League Pitcher of the Week honors in early July when he retired all 16 batters he faced -- six by strikeout -- over three appearances.
As for his effectiveness against left-handed hitters, 50 of his 88 strikeouts have come against lefties this season. With the exception of 2025, lefties have never batted higher than .273 against him in his seven seasons in the Minor Leagues because of the tailing action on his sinker.
