Fantasy Outlook for Cardinals' Pitcher Alex Reyes After Returning From Injury

Cover Photo: Getty Images

St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher Alex Reyes hasn't pitched in a major league game in over two months, but that doesn't mean he can't provide fantasy value to those in need. After being sidelined since April with a hand injury, the Cardinals announced that Reyes will make one more start at Triple-A Memphis, and could be with the big club shortly after that.

The Redbirds go for their fourth win in five games on this road trip coming up in 30 minutes!@AlexReyes_67 makes the start.

Sosa 3B
Robinson SS
Nogowski 1B
O'Neill LF
Garcia RF
Thomas CF
Godoy C
Urias 2B
Reyes P

? https://t.co/Qznpo8aIrh
? https://t.co/G8qJoWYYak + @tunein
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 9, 2019

Reyes' MLB stats are the definition of a small sample size, as he sports an impressive 2.21 career ERA that looks slightly less impressive when you see it's only over 53 career innings pitched.

However, Reyes has been one of the most talked about prospects in baseball for a couple of years now. He has played in two All-Star futures games, and was named one of the Cardinals' Co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year in 2015. He has impressed many with a repertoire that features a mid-to-high 90's fastball, a curveball, slider and high-80's changeup.

In his second start since returning to Memphis, #stlcards RHP Alex Reyes was good and not good. Good was three hits and 10 Ks in 4 IP. Not good was four walks and three ER, including a two-run HR. To get through 4 IP, he needed 88 pitches, of which just 45 were strikes.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 9, 2019

There has been some concern, however, with his control. Reyes has already walked 31 batters in his 53 MLB innings, and has a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of just 1.77/1.

While those numbers may cause some concern, it is important to remember that at age 24, Reyes has not yet showed the best version of himself.

Recent injuries to Domingo German and Carlos Carrasco highlight the fact that this is a time of year when very few fantasy lineups are at full strength. This makes adding Reyes off the waiver wire even more feasible. Very few available pitchers--if any--represent the talent and upside that Reyes does, making him a worthy addition for fantasy teams that need a stud pitcher in leagues where none are available.

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Leo Abbe-Schneider is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Leo Abbe-Schneider also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username leoabbe2. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.