Turns out, Ricky Tiedemann won't be starting Blue Jays' spring training opener after all

On Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitcher was named for their spring training opener. Top prospect Ricky Tiedemann was tabbed as the starter, which was more than enough to get an already-antsy fanbase further riled up.

Tiedemann, the organization's top prospect per every major outlet's rankings as well as Jays Journal's No. 1 prospect, looked to build off of and improve upon what was an up-and-down 2023 campaign.

Just 24 hours later, multiple reports, including one from MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, indicate that the promising southpaw has now been scratched from his start. All signs are pointing to left hamstring discomfort, as relayed by manager John Schneider to the media. Schneider also named Chad Dallas, Jays Journal's No. 19 prospect, as the replacement starting pitcher.

Tiedemann, 21, battled a whole slew of injuries last season and ultimately made just 15 starts split between four levels. That did not do anything to his prospect shine, though, as he is still widely expected to be the "next big thing" for the Blue Jays. Ultimately, his removal from this spring training outing is nothing more than a precautionary measure, as the club won't want him to go too hard so early on in the season. It's reasonable to expect him to start one of the spring games in the next few days instead.

Now the attention turns to Dallas, a 23-year-old right-hander who saw his own prospect stock shoot up last year. In 23 starts between two minor league levels, he went 9-3 with a 3.65 ERA and over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. A source told Jays Journal late last season that he was "inches away" from a promotion to Triple-A when Tiedemann got his own call-up, but the former was instead shut down for the year to preserve his arm.

Dallas has been one of the better up-and-coming names to know in this Blue Jays system and now it's going to be his time to shine in the spring training opener. Very little stock should be put into the results of these games, but it's going to be nice to see one of the young guns lead the charge in Saturday's contest against the Phillies' spring squad.