Gallegos en route; Reyes, Cabrera also close

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos received clearance to travel and is “en route” to St. Louis, manager Mike Shildt said Friday night.

Gallegos has been awaiting clearance to fly from Mexico since the beginning of Summer Camp for undisclosed reasons, but the team is hopeful the right-hander can be at Busch Stadium for workouts on Saturday.

“A few hurdles to getting him into the workout [Saturday], but we’re hopeful,” Shildt said.

Shildt also said Alex Reyes, who is in St. Louis but has not been at camp for undisclosed reasons, and Génesis Cabrera, who tested positive for COVID-19 during intake testing at the beginning of camp, are “getting closer” to joining the team for workouts. Cabrera was asymptomatic and consented to being named by the team as a positive case. Shildt said both pitchers could be at Busch Stadium early next week.

With Opening Day less than a week away, the three pitchers’ availability to start the season is still in question, as the Cardinals need to evaluate how built up they are and see them face live hitting.

“We’re not going to rush them, to rush them,” Shildt said. “We’ll put our eyes on them and take them as they show up.”

• How Cards' roster could look on Opening Day

The hope of getting all three back on the field soon strengthens a Cardinals bullpen that has experienced several key losses since Summer Camp began. John Brebbia will miss the season after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, and Jordan Hicks opted out of the season, citing pre-existing health concerns. The Cardinals’ depth is tested without Gallegos, Reyes and Cabrera.

Gallegos emerged in his rookie season last year as a reliable setup man, posting a 2.31 ERA across 74 innings. With Carlos Martínez battling for a spot in the rotation, Gallegos was a front-runner to close games before his absence at Summer Camp made his availability for Opening Day questionable. While Gallegos, 28, won’t step into the closer role next week, he could take over the ninth inning sometime this season.

“We’re going to pitch Gio when he’s ready to pitch in the right situation,” Shildt said. “We’ll evaluate it. It is a possibility that a guy could start and not be built up completely and still have enough roster space to say, ‘Yeah, this is an inning for him right here.’ But it wouldn’t be in a structured setting to say that we have to get him in a game today to get him work.”

Reyes and Cabrera can also be influential parts of the bullpen this year. Cabrera, 23, gives the Cardinals another left-handed look and features an electric fastball and a wicked curve that he worked in the offseason to be more aggressive with. Reyes, 25, is trying to rebound from three lost seasons due to injury. The right-hander still has the talent that comes with being named a club’s top prospect and can pitch his way to high-leverage situations this season, if he stays healthy.