Luis Perdomo named as injury replacement for Alex Reyes in Futures Game

The Futures Game, being held on July 12 in Cincinnati, will have one Cardinal farmhand replacing another.

Alex Reyes, the well-known right-hander currently pitching for the Class A+ Palm Beach Cardinals, will not throw in the Futures Game due to shoulder soreness that has plagued him since mid-June. He has been on the minor-league disabled list for almost a month because of the issue. He is 2-5 with a 2.08 ERA as a member of the A+ Palm Beach Cardinals, having struck out 90 batters in 60 2/3 innings.

Reyes expressed optimism about being a part of the festivities just a few days ago. "My first reaction was excitement," he said in an interview that was posted to YouTube last week. "It's an honor to represent the Cardinals at the Futures Game. It's something I've wanted to do.

"You could learn from all the guys - not only the Major Leaguers, but the guys that are going through exactly what I am now (...) just being out there, competing and facing a lot of good hitters... being in the same clubhouse around some elite minor league players.

"Everybody that goes (to Cincinnati) is an All-Star. The Major League guys are incredible. They do a tremendous job. Even the guys on our side... (the Futures Game) is something nice to be a part of."

22-year-old Luis Perdomo will take Reyes' spot on the World team roster. (Reyes, as you may recall, was born in New Jersey but was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic, hence being named to the World roster.)

Perdomo is currently pitching with St. Louis' Class A affiliate Peoria.

If the name "Luis Perdomo" sounds familiar, it should. The Luis Perdomo that is replacing Reyes, however, is a completely different pitcher with the same name as a former Redbird prospect.

The Cardinals traded Anthony Reyes to Cleveland in 2008, and in return, received Luis M. Perdomo. That same pitcher made his Major League debut with San Diego in 2009 and has not pitched in the big leagues since 2012, his age 28 season.

Luis D. Perdomo - the current farmhand - is 4-7 with a 2.79 ERA as a Peoria Chief, and has struck out 76 batters in 77 innings. He is the only Cardinal player representative in the Game. Before the 2015 season, Fangraphs' Kiley McDaniel wrote that Perdomo "hasn’t had much full-season success, but sits 92-95 and hits 97 mph at his best, though his slider, changeup and command lag behind." The following chart contains Perdomo's career minor-league stats, demonstrating the accuracy of McDaniel's assessment and the basis for hope that Perdomo has started to put it together this season.

Luis Perdomo: Career MiLB Stats