St Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras has been killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic at the age of 22.

Taveras and his girlfriend died in the incident when the pair were travelling in a Chevrolet Camero on their way to Puerto Plata. No further details were released by the police about the tragic event.

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr said in a statement: "We are all stunned and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of the youngest members of the Cardinals family.

"Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight."

"All of us throughout Major League Baseball are in mourning this evening, shocked by the heartbreaking news of the accident involving Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic," MLB Commissioner Bud Selig added.

"Oscar, a young member of the Baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago."

Taveras scored three home runs in his only season in the MLB for the Cardinals in 2014.