Who doesn’t love some News and Notes?
There’s some good news and some really good news that doesn’t involve baseball. Let’s get started with the really good news.
Toby Swanson heading home in the next day or two
Just over a week ago, it was reported that Toby Swanson, Erik Swanson’s four-year-old son, was hit by a car and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida.
He was released from the PICU a day later, but remained in hospital. On Thursday, MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson reported that Erik Swanson said Toby would be “going home” in the next day or two.
There are things bigger than baseball, and it’s great news that Toby will be heading back home.
Erik Swanson “on track” to be ready for opening day
Erik Swanson spent time away from the team, but pitched on Thursday according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Moreover, it appears he’ll be ready for opening day.
Swanson was a big part of the Blue Jays bullpen in 2023, posting a 2.97 ERA and a 3.51 FIP in 66.2 innings pitched. On top of that, Swanson had a 28.6 K% and an 8 BB%, usually being used as a set up man before closer Jordan Romano.
The Blue Jays acquired Swanson by trading Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners in November 2022. They also acquired an intriguing prospect in Adam Macko, who was added to the 40-man roster late in 2023.
Tiedemann starts Saturday
According to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, top prospect Ricky Tiedemann will start Saturday’s game.
Tiedemann was originally supposed to start the opening day of Spring Training, but missed that start due to a left hamstring injury. Thankfully, Matheson reported that he’s still expected to get a full camp before he heads back to Triple-A Buffalo.
Last season between Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Tiedemann had a 3.83 ERA and a 1.98 FIP in 47 innings pitched, with an additional 18 innings pitched in the Arizona Fall League. Moreover, his 43.7 K% was the highest in the organization for pitchers with more than 30 innings pitched. However, his BB% did rise significantly to 12.2%, but his K-BB% of 31.5% was the best in the organization.
Tiedemann’s stuff is excellent, so it’s only a matter of time before he makes the big leagues (even as soon as 2024) as he has ace potential.
Blue Jays hoping Kevin Gausman can pitch from the mound by Monday
The Blue Jays’ current ace, Kevin Gausman, could be pitching off the mound by Monday, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Gausman has yet to make his Spring Training debut in 2024, which is a worrisome sign considering opening day is in three weeks. Will Gausman be ready for opening day, where he is the most logical starter? It’ll be close.
Last season, Gausman posted a 3.16 ERA and a 2.97 FIP in 185 innings pitched. Moreover, he had a 31.1 K% and a 7.2 BB%, eventually finishing third in American Cy Young voting. Interestingly, it was the fourth straight season a Blue Jay pitcher had been nominated for the Cy Young award.
Hopefully he has another good season!
Yariel Rodríguez to throw a bullpen on Friday
The Blue Jays big signing of this past off-season was Yariel Rodríguez. However, he hasn’t pitched for the Jays in a Spring Training game, but that may change as he’s set to throw a bullpen on Friday, according to Francys Romero.
Toronto signed Rodríguez to a five-year, $32 million deal but has been out due to backspams. The 26-year-old righty most recently pitched for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, meaning he hasn’t pitched in an actual game setting since last March.
With that being said, the Jays plan to stretch him out and use him as a longman, at least for his first season with the team. It’ll be exciting to finally see him pitch for the Jays!
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