Cardinals give Alex Reyes the start, but you'll have to watch him on Facebook
Rookie right-handed pitcher Alex Reyes has been activated by the St. Louis Cardinals and will start against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday night.
Reyes has been on the 60-day disabled list, working an extended rehab assignment in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2017 season.
Reyes, 23, dominated through four rehab starts this month. He went 3-0 in starts at every one of the Cardinals minor league affiliates from low-A Palm Beach through triple-A Memphis. In 23 innings, he struck out 44 batters while not allowing an earned run. He allowed seven hits in all, four of which came in his first start at Palm Beach.
Along the way, he tied the Springfield Redbirds' single-game strikeout record with 13. He struck out 13 more through seven innings in his final rehab start in Memphis. During one stretch of that final start, Reyes struck out nine consecutive Oklahoma City batters to break a 116-year-old Pacific Coast League record.
Wednesday's start will be his first in the majors since September of 2016. The game will not be televised, however. Major League Baseball, rather, will broadcast the game through a live Facebook feed.
In 12 games that season, Reyes went 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched. He was the majors only pitcher with three wins against the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs.
Reyes was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in December of 2012. The 6-4, 220-pounder has consistently been ranked among the top handful of prospects in baseball over the last three years.
The Cardinals also announced that they have optioned right-handed pitcher Mike Mayers to Memphis and that right-handed reliever Dominic Leone was transferred from the 10-day to 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster.
Leone has been out since May 5 with nerve irritation in his upper right arm.
This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Cardinals give Alex Reyes the start, but you'll have to watch him on Facebook."