St. Louis Cardinals: Alex Reyes undergoes surgery, out for season

After seeking a second opinion on his lat strain, St. Louis Cardinals’ starter Alex Reyes’ season is done after undergoing surgery.

The St. Louis Cardinals learned the fate of their prized top pitching prospect late this afternoon as Alex Reyes‘ season is now officially over. The young right-hander underwent surgery on his right lat strain, requiring a tendon attachment. The surgery was successful and the expected downtime is about six months.

While the news may seem somewhat unexpected due to the reports suggesting a ‘significant strain,’ there is a collective sigh of relief somewhere. The surgery went as expected and he will make a full recovery, meaning this probably isn’t career threatening. The Cardinals believe he could be back on the mound in six months. However, you have to start wondering will Reyes ever be the same pitcher the Cardinals and their fans hoped he would be.

There is a bit of news surrounding Reyes related to his injury that speaks volumes however. Late last week reports centered around Reyes knowingly feeling discomfort in his final rehab start. The area of discomfort? The same injured shoulder.

I don’t want to cast stones here, but there is a real underlying issue here. The obvious two questions should be, “Did the St. Louis Cardinals know about the soreness?” or “Did Alex Reyes even tell the St. Louis Cardinals about the soreness?” Whichever question you may be asking, either answer will stink to high heaven.

If you are Alex Reyes and you don’t tell the Cardinals you pitched through some soreness knowing what you mean to them, then you did yourself a disservice. I don’t want to hear the narrative “Well maybe he felt good enough to go.” That’s crap. Last week I said Reyes is the one who knows his body, but even if you remotely get injured and you know it’s something the Cardinals should know, then you should probably say something.

But let’s say he told the Cardinals what happened and they decided to reevaluate at a later date. While normally I’d say I’m okay with it, but when it comes to Reyes, there has to be a line somewhere. I’d be willing to bet the St. Louis Cardinals would have halted any pitching for Reyes had he told them of any soreness or issues while throwing. It wouldn’t even have to be related to his pitching elbow. But if some magical reason they knew and let him go because he said he felt fine, knowing what he’s been through, I’m not sure what to say.

Next: Draft day two

Here’s to a speedy recovery, again.