Report: Cardinals worried Reyes needs Tommy John surgery

The St. Louis Cardinals' first day of spring workouts got off to a devastating start, as Alex Reyes - widely considered the top pitching prospect in baseball - was sent for an MRI on his right arm Tuesday, and there's significant concern within the organization that the 22-year-old needs Tommy John surgery, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

Though the club is still awaiting the results of the test, a source told ESPN's Jim Bowden that Reyes has a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and will likely undergo season-ending surgery.

"Let's wait for tomorrow and react then," general manager John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We're obviously hoping for the best."

Reyes, who dazzled in St. Louis as a late-season call-up last year and was primed to compete for the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2017, was curiously absent from Tuesday's workout for pitchers and catchers, and told reporters afterward that he wasn't medically cleared to participate. He later left the club's spring complex in Jupiter, Fla., for further examination.

"I don't like MRIs," manager Mike Matheny said. "I would rather he wasn’t getting that right now. There must be a significant reason to do it."

Initially poised to compete for the fifth rotation spot this spring, Reyes fashioned a 1.57 ERA (263 ERA+) with a 1.22 WHIP across five starts and seven relief appearances for the Cardinals last season, notching 52 strikeouts while allowing just one home run in 46 innings following an August promotion from Triple-A Memphis.