Cardinals' Alex Reyes looks good but also leaves reason for concern in season debut

The right-hander started against the Brewers on Wednesday

The Cardinals fell to the Brewers in Milwaukee on Wednesday (MIL 3, STL 2), but perhaps more notable than the result was right-hander Alex Reyes' return to the mound. 

The 23-year-old right-hander -- not long ago the top pitching prospect in baseball (his rookie status is still intact) -- returned Wednesday from Tommy John surgery and the 60-day DL following a dominant minor-league rehab stint. All things considered, the results from his first appearance on a major-league mound since Sept. 29, 2016, were quite promising ... 

And some moving pictures of Reyes' afternoon at Miller Park ... 

Getting four scoreless against a division leader is certainly a positive. However, the end of Reyes' day of work raised some concerns. Reyes was lifted from his return start after just 74 pitches because of some troubling velocity trends, which you'll see here ... 

Alex Reyes saw his velocity dip during Wednesday's start. Brooks Baseball

Toward the right-hand edge of the chart, you'll see that Reyes' fastball velocity had declined significantly before jumping up again just prior to his exit. In part, that may be residual effects from a second inning that saw him get worked for 28 pitches. Facing major-league hitters in a key game between division rivals exacts more of a toll than minor-league rehab pitches that aren't really for keeps. So it's possible Reyes, after being out of any kind of normal routine for so long and coming off such a major surgery, wasn't ready for such a labored frame. 

In any event, it's concerning that the young hurler's day ended because of a velocity dip and not long after the head trainer was with him on the mound. Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, no one involved sounds overly concerned. However, Reyes will undergo some additional testing once he gets back to St. Louis. 

Look at the line score, and Reyes' ballyhooed return looks like a success, and one hopes further examination won't force a revision of that assessment.