"No structural damage": Blue Jays receive good news on Ricky Tiedemann

You can breathe, Toronto Blue Jays fans.

There was plenty of concern surrounding Ricky Tiedemann, who was supposed to pitch in the Blue Jays Spring Training opener today but was scratched due to hamstring discomfort. The 21-year-old pitcher is not only the Blue Jays’ top prospect but also ranked the 29th prospect in all of baseball.

Thankfully, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed to reporters that an MRI done on Tiedemann showed no structural damage. Instead, He is listed as day-to-day with inflammation between his hamstring and calf.

“MRI just showed some inflammation between his hamstring and calf, which is overall good news,” Schneider said. “No structural damage. So kind of day to day.”

On Ricky Tiedemann:

“MRI just showed some inflammation between his hamstring and his calf, which is overall good news. No structural damage. So kind of day to day. And see when he gets back out there.”

– John Schneider #BlueJays

— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) February 24, 2024

While scratching the pitching sensation is disappointing, the Blue Jays skip was happy that Tiedemann let his discomfort be known rather than risk battling through it, especially at this time of year.

“I think it’s a very good lesson, not just for young guys but everyone when we’re in February, you want to be very careful,” Schneider said. “If you feel something, let it be known and take a little bit of a breather.”

With Tiedemann out, the start will instead be given to Chad Dallas. Dallas, known to his teammates as Cheese, spent most of the 2023 season playing AA in New Hampshire. He put up a 7-3 record in 18 starts, along with 107 K’s and a 4.10 ERA.

The Blue Jays will begin their spring training season this afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies, with the first pitch set to get underway at 1:07 pm ET. They will then take on the New York Yankees on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, and the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday before going up against the Phillies again on Thursday.

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