St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Helsley starts rehabbing

One of the St. Louis Cardinals top pitching prospects, Ryan Helsley, has started his rehab work.

Ryan Helsley has missed close to two months with shoulder fatigue. He made his first rehab appearance with the GCL Cardinals, going 2.2 scoreless innings. The St. Louis Cardinals number five prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, struck out four and walked three.

When he returns, it is likely that Helsley will go back to Triple A and pitch for Memphis. He threw five games with them prior to his injury. However, he has also thrown seven games with Springfield prior to that. An article on CBS says that he might wind up in Double A after his rehab. But, more than likely going to be Memphis.

Injury Recovery

This was supposed to be the year that Helsley made his MLB debut based on his profile. The shoulder issue will certainly hinder that. Anytime that a pitcher goes down with a shoulder issue, it is not good news. Even if it is just shoulder fatigue. By the looks of his first rehab start, his shoulder is looking good. It will take a few more appearances to stretch him out.

As he gets back into it, his walk numbers should drop as well. Walking three in less than three innings is not like him. In nearly 27 innings with Memphis, Helsley walked only nine batters.

Profile

Helsley has a plus fastball that can get up to 98 MPH when he reaches back. He couples that with a curveball to keep hitters off balance. MLB Pipeline compliments his spin rates as a huge factor in his success.

There is still some work to do for Helsley if he is going to be in the rotation. While his fastball/curve combination is already in good shape, it is not enough to carry him as a big league starter. He will need to improve his changeup or cutter to add that third pitch. Without it, he will likely thrive in a bullpen role.

For now, it is good to have a top five prospect back from injury. Helsley is a solid pitcher with a bright future. His shoulder needs to hold up, but things are looking up, his rehab will be pretty telling.