MLB Weekly Digest 2/20/17

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The prior week in MLB was about a pitching prospect having his season end early, a young first baseman in the AL will be out for most of Spring Training, and a former MVP is dealing with an injury.

Reyes Requires Tommy John Surgery

The St. Louis Cardinals were counting on right-hander Alex Reyes to give a chance of contending in the National League Central for the upcoming season, but that won’t be the case.

Reyes has a partial tear in pitching elbow that will require Tommy John surgery, and it will end his 2017 season, per Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.

This is a major blow to the Cardinals as Reyes showed terrific promise with the team last season. He posted a 1.57 ERA in 12 games (five starts) with 52 strikeouts, 23 walks issued and one home run surrendered in 46 innings.

The Cardinals do have depth in the rotation with Michael Wacha, Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and Lance Lynn returning after he missed the 2016 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.

It stings to lose a pitcher like Reyes because of injury.

Austin Out Six Weeks Due to Foot Fracture

The New York Yankees won’t have Tyler Austin for much of Spring Training as he suffered an injury. Austin has a small fracture in his left foot and will be sidelined for six weeks, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Austin was expected to compete with Greg Bird this spring to be the Yankees first baseman when the season started.

The Yankees look like geniuses for signing Chris Carter as who could’ve predicted that Austin would get injured. It’s down to Bird and Carter at first base for the Yankees.

Bird missed all of last season due to injury but clubbed 11 homers in 46 games in 2015 for the Yankees. Carter led the Senior Circuit in homers last year with 41 but also struck out 206 times.

The individual with a strong performance this spring has an excellent chance of being the starting first baseman for the Yankees in 2017.

Donaldson Out Two to Three Weeks With Calf Strain

The Toronto Blue Jays will be without a major part of their lineup for a couple of weeks. Third baseman Josh Donaldson is dealing with a calf strain, and it will sideline him two to three weeks, per John Lott of The Athletic.

Donaldson has been phenomenal in his time with the Blue Jays. He won the AL MVP in 2015 and was fourth in the voting last season.

The club will lean more on him this after losing Edwin Encarnacion to free agency.

It’s a positive that the injury occurred early during spring training and it will give Donaldson a chance to recover.

The Blue Jays will need him healthy once the regular season starts to have a chance of winning the AL East.

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Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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Chris Lacey
Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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