Cardinals top prospect Reyes to undergo Tommy John surgery

The St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation took a major hit on Wednesday as the team announced pitching phenom Alex Reyes will undergo Tommy John surgery, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

General manager John Mozeliak confirmed the announcement to reporters shortly afterward.

Reyes received an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing right elbow discomfort, and it was determined the 22-year-old top pitching prospect will need surgery and miss the entire 2017 season.

"When I met with him this morning you could definitely tell that he was down, disappointed," Mozeliak told Goold. "Reality of all this is something I think he had some time to deal with as well. He's eager to get it going and to proceed with his rehab."

Reyes is still expected to receive a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, who was sent the MRI images, but Mozeliak doesn't expect the diagnosis to change.

The proposed surgery would happen Thursday, according to multiple reports, and the best-case scenario is that Reyes will be ready for the start of the 2018 season.

Reyes was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 2012, and skyrocketed to the top of prospect charts everywhere after posting impressive strikeout rates in the minors. Entering 2017, Reyes ranked as the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

During his big-league debut for the Cardinals last season, the flamethrower posted a 4-1 record with a 1.57 ERA across 12 appearances - five starts - striking out 52 hitters in 46 innings.

The Cardinals will likely turn to former 17-game winner Michael Wacha to fill Reyes' void in the rotation.