Alan Benes to join Springfield

The Springfield Cardinals announced on Saturday that pitcher Alan Benes has been signed to a Minor League contract and will be activated as early as Sunday. 

Benes, who begins his third tour of duty in the Cardinals system, was originally drafted by St. Louis in the first round of the 1993 draft.  After spending his first nine seasons with the Cardinals, Benes spent the next two years with the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers.  The brother of former Cards pitcher Andy Benes, Alan debuted in the big leagues in 1995, going 1-2 in three starts for St. Louis.  He won a career-best 13 games the following year in 1996, going 13-10 in a career-high 34 appearances. 

Last season, Benes rejoined the St. Louis family, playing for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, going 8-10 with an ERA of 5.60 in 28 games.  Benes has not pitched for the last ten months, after undergoing shoulder surgery last September.  No roster move has been made yet to clear room for Benes on the Springfield roster.