St. Louis loses All-Star reliever to season-ending injury

The St. Louis Cardinals were hit hard by the injury crisis on Monday. After it was announced that Steven Matz and Dylan Carlson would be placed on the injured reserve, the cards received a much more blunt update regarding a key member of the bullpen.

According to Katie WooAlex Reyes will be forced to undergo shoulder surgery after experiencing pain in his throwing arm:

Brutal news for Alex Reyes and the #STLCards. After seeing Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, it is determined that Reyes will need surgery to relieve the pain in his shoulder. This operation is scheduled for the end of May and will probably (but not definitively) end his season.

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 23, 2022

Although no official schedule has been released, Reyes is expected to undergo the procedure by the end of May and be sidelined for the rest of the season.

This is another blow for the Cardinals, and especially for a player like Reyes who has struggled with injuries throughout his MLB career. Once touted as a high-potential starter, injuries led to Reyes being moved to the bullpen. He excelled as a reliever in 2021, earning his first-ever All-Star appearance, but will now be forced to miss the remainder of the 2022 campaign due to injury.

Reyes hadn’t made an appearance for the Cardinals this season because he suffered from a shoulder injury. The team hoped to avoid surgery for the 27-year-old, but after consulting doctors, a procedure was the recommendation given to the team.

In 2021, Reyes made 69 relief appearances, recording a 3.24 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings, recording 29 saves for the Cardinals. The team hoped he could play a key role in the bullpen again in 2022, but his injury proved too bad for him to pitch this season, and he is now on the verge of missing out. the whole campaign.