St. Louis Cardinals: Alex Reyes gets back to a routine

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in February, St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher, Alex Reyes, officially started the road to recovery today.

Today the St. Louis Cardinals, and fans, received a bit of different news. Starting pitcher, Alex Reyes, began his throwing routine today. It was only a few months ago the Cardinals learned the young right-hander would need Tommy John surgery. As expected, the injury news was devastating.

However, today marked the first step in the right direction for Reyes. Much like Lance Lynn last season, Reyes looks to be ready by Opening Day for the 2018 season. Much is said about the impact Reyes could have had on the rotation this year. Before his injury, I wrote about his chances of making into the rotation. I think most of us were sure he would get the number five-spot.

Even with the injury news, John Mozeliak admitted Reyes would probably have started in the bullpen anyway.

Reyes made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals last year out of the bullpen. He also managed to get a few starts later in the year. In twelve games, Alex Reyes threw forty-six innings and had a 4-1 record with a 1.57 ERA. Reyes racked up fifty-two strikeouts for K/9 ratio of 10.2 and gave up only a single home run.

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His best moment, perhaps, was on September 18th, 2016. Reyes threw seven innings, giving up four hits, and striking out six against the Giants. Oh, did I mention it was in the middle of the Wild Card race last season?

Hopefully, Reyes progresses well with his rehab over the next couple of months. There isn’t any reason to expect to see him on the big league squad at the end of the season.

The Cardinals would be foolish to push the young pitcher, especially given the nature of the surgery.

However, if Reyes returns fully healthy, the expectations will be very high for the kid. More than likely the St. Louis Cardinals will be overly protective of him with his innings. The one thing I look at, though, is the length of rehab Reyes receives. Like Lance Lynn, Reyes is receiving plenty of rehab time before the new season starts. He will ave plenty of time to get a feel for the ball again.

If there is one thing I would bank on it’s you won’t see Reyes’ name anywhere in trade talks. I think the St. Louis Cardinals value him way too high for it to happen. Plus, I’m not sure how many times would be willing to risk his injury comeback on future or current players. The Cardinals will keep Reyes for the future. If it’s anything like last year, Reyes will be back in the rotation before you know it.

Next: Trade rumor update

It’s great to see Alex Reyes throwing again. I wish him luck on his rehab, and hope he gets back to St. Louis soon.