Cardinals' Alex Reyes to have Tommy John elbow surgery
Just a day after pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the St. Louis Cardinals were handed a significant blow.
MRI results showed that rookie pitcher Alex Reyes, 22, will require Tommy John elbow surgery and miss the entire 2017 season, the club announced on Wednesday.
“It was determined that’d he’ll require Tommy John (surgery),” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told reporters at the team’s spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla. “It’s obviously very disappointing. We had very high expectations for him.”
"The thoughts going through my head, 'It sucks,'" Reyes said.
The loss of Reyes is a big setback for the Cardinals, who are trying to catch the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. Reyes was expected to play a key role with the Cardinals this season as potentially their fifth starter. He's armed with a deadly 97 mph fastball and billed as baseball's top pitching prospect. He's also ranked No. 6 on Paste BN's 100 Names You Need To Know in 2017.
The Cardinals, who had won the NL Central from 2013-15 until the Cubs overtook the title last season, made strides this offseason to catch the World Series champions. They acquired free agent center fielder and lead off hitter Dexter Fowler, who played with the Cubs in 2016.
Reyes had been preparing to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic when he complained of elbow soreness. He made his major league debut last Aug. 9 and was 4-1 in 12 games (five starts) and posted a 1.57 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 46 innings.
"When I met with him this morning you could definitely tell that he was down, disappointed," Mozeliak said. "Reality of all this is something I think he had some time to deal with as well. He's eager to get it going and to proceed with his rehab."
Mozeliak said Reyes would likely undergo the surgery in Jupiter in the coming days.