Cardinals lose top prospect Alex Reyes for the season, again
By Chris Wurtz
The St. Louis Cardinals’ Alex Reyes was one of the most highly-touted arms in the minors for years, but he can’t seem to outrun the injury bug.
St. Louis Cardinals‘ phenom Alex Reyes turned heads when he first arrived on the scene late in 2016. But since then, he’s had more than his fair share of bad luck.
The team announced Wednesday that Reyes is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to reattach a tendon in his right lat.
It’s a major blow to Reyes and the Cards as the the 23-year-old just returned from Tommy John Surgery. He made just one start in 2018, on May 30 against the Brewers.
Reyes lasted just 73 pitches and four innings in Milwaukee before his velocity dipped. He underwent an MRI after the game that revealed a “significant” lat strain and was placed on the 10-day DL.
Evidently, the significance of the injury was greater than anyone outside the organization would have assumed. Now, the right-handed pitcher will essentially miss his second full season in a row.
Reyes — MLB Pipeline’s No. 15 prospect in the game — burst onto the scene in August of 2016. He went 4-1 with a minuscule 1.57 ERA in 12 appearances. He appeared set to be a fixture in a dominant Cardinals rotation for years to come.
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But, that offseason, Reyes was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He underwent successful surgery in February and began his 22-month rehabilitation process. That brings us to 2018, where Reyes made a few rehab appearances in the minors before his highly-anticipated first major league start since 2016.
The good news for Reyes and the Cardinals is that he is still young, talented and motivated. He’s got some of the nastiest stuff in all of baseball, as MLB.com’s Cut 4 highlighted. And he’s just 23 years old. But, he’s been a reminder that baseball can be a cruel game.