Cardinals lose top prospect Reyes for season
JUPITER, Fla. — One of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball and an early favorite for National League Rookie of the Year will have to wait at least a year to prove it.
Alex Reyes has a complete rupture of a ligament in his right elbow and will require Tommy John surgery, the St. Louis Cardinals confirmed Wednesday. General manager John Mozeliak met with Reyes earlier in the morning.
Reyes will require 12 to 18 months to recover. Most starting pitchers miss about a year.
“Hopefully he’ll be back better than ever,” Mozeliak said. “It’s obviously very disappointing. Had very high expectations for him. But I guess if you’re going to look at it from a timing standpoint, now he has a year to do his rehab and get everything that he’s dealing with under control.”
Reyes experienced a sharp discomfort in his right elbow Friday while throwing to prepare for spring training. The team put him through a battery of exams Tuesday, the first official day of spring training.
“I was throwing a side at home (in New Jersey) and I felt something different,” Reyes said. “I threw an off-speed pitch and I let the trainer know and apparently this is what has to happen. It was just kind of a pain throughout my elbow that I haven’t felt before.”
The Cardinals had Reyes positioned as a candidate for the fifth spot in their rotation. He had an edge with his performance late in 2016, falling short of exhausting his rookie eligibility while going 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA in five starts and seven relief appearances.
Michael Wacha, who is coming back from a chronic shoulder injury, ascends to the lead for the fifth spot behind Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Lance Lynn and Mike Leake.
Kershaw hits camp ready to test back
Los Angels Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said he has “no worries or concerns” about the back injury that sidelined him for 2½ months last season.
Kershaw threw a bullpen session Wednesday as Dodgers pitchers and catchers reported to camp, and Kershaw said he had been throwing off a mound once a week since the start of January in preparation for spring training.
“I’ve been doing good,” he said when asked how his back had responded during offseason workouts. “I’m excited to give it a good test here in spring training.”
The notoriously hard-working Kershaw said he made some adjustments to his workout routine as a concession to the mildly herniated disc that put him out of action last season — but only minor ones.
“The routine has been a little different but it’s not drastic changes, which is great. I still feel like I’m able to get the work I need,” he said. “I’m just a little more aware of not pushing through stuff. But for the most part, it hasn’t changed.”
Ex-Cub Wood signs with Royals
Travis Wood wanted to start, and the Kansas City Royals had a need.
The 30-year-old lefthander and the Royals finalized a $12 million, two-year contract Wednesday. Coming off a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs, Wood hopes to earn a starting slot in a rotation shaken by the death of Yordano Ventura in a car accident.
Wood was 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in a career-high 77 appearances with the Cubs last season, holding lefties to a .128 average.
Primarily a starter during his first five big league seasons, Wood was moved to the bullpen by the Cubs in 2015.
“I wanted to try to get back to it and they’re going to give me an opportunity to do that,” Wood said. “Wherever I fit in is what I’ll do.”
He will compete for the fifth slot with righthanders Chris Young and Nathan Karns.
Odds and ends
Braves infielder Sean Rodriguez had surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his left shoulder, but general manager John Coppolella “won’t rule him out for the year.” Rodriguez, who agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract in November, hurt his shoulder when a vehicle he was driving was rammed by a stolen police car in Miami on Jan. 28. … Reliever Fernando Salas and the Mets have finalized a $3 million, one-year contract. Salas was acquired from the Angels in an Aug. 31 trade last year. … First baseman Adam Lind and the Nationals have finalized a $1.5 million, one-year contract. Lind hit .239 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs for the Mariners last season.