Last week, after spending roughly 14 months recovering from Tommy John surgery, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes was diagnosed with a torn tendon in his shoulder, an injury that necessitated season-ending surgery.

For the beleaguered 23-year-old, that devastating blow pales in comparison to what he's been dealing with at home for much of the past two years.

On Tuesday, Reyes revealed that his infant daughter, Aleyka, was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 - at five months old - and is still battling the disease.

"I'm fighting for my career and I love to play baseball, but life is way more important," Reyes told reporters, per Rob Rains of STL Sports Page. "That was definitely a lot tougher situation in my life. To know how strong she is now, and how strong she was through that process, those are things that drive me."

Aleyka, who turns two years old in July, had a tumor near her heart, Reyes said, but her condition has improved of late following treatment.

"She’s doing a lot better, the tumors are a lot smaller and hopefully she won’t need any more chemo treatments," he said. "She has another appointment in about two months."