MILWAUKEE -- The St. Louis Cardinals placed pitcher Mike Leake on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of shingles and recalled left-handed reliever Dean Kiekhefer from Triple-A Memphis.
Leake was replaced by Alex Reyes, the Cardinals' top prospect, in the rotation Saturday. Reyes, who is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings, likely will continue to pitch in Leake's spot while he is out.
"I just think it was inevitable [he would go on the DL] given that he wasn't turning the corner, but it does look better now," manager Mike Matheny said. "It's a little more contained, his energy level's up, his appetite is better. Things are starting to go a positive direction for the first time."
Shingles is an often painful rash that results from a recurrence of the chicken pox virus in people who have had chickenpox previously.
The Cardinals signed Leake to a five-year, $80 million deal in December shortly after they learned that Lance Lynn would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Leake is 9-9 with a 4.56 ERA for the Cardinals.
With Michael Wacha and Leake out, the Cardinals have rookies in two of their five rotation spots. Luke Weaver took over Wacha's rotation spot three starts ago.
"There wasn't anything I saw from Luke Weaver or anything I saw from Alex Reyes that tells me they shouldn't be back out there, regardless of the situation," Matheny said. "They're young pitchers, but they're young pitchers with good stuff and they're getting better each time they go out. So, keep them rolling."
The Cardinals, 68-61 entering Monday, own the second wild-card spot in the National League.
