Adam Macko, Chad Dallas, Damiano Palmegiani among first wave of cuts from Blue Jays’ camp

The first round of minor-league re-assignments means only one thing: we’re all that much closer to Opening Day.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced their first wave of cuts following Friday’s 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees, re-assigning 11 players to their minor-league camp. Notable prospects sent down include Chad Dallas, Damiano Palmegiani, Alan Roden, Devereaux Harrison, T.J. Brock and Zach Britton.

Left-handed starter Adam Macko, acquired alongside reliever Erik Swanson in the Teoscar Hernández trade, was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. The Slovakian-born hurler, who later moved to southern Alberta, was added to the organization’s 40-man roster over the winter, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft.

The 23-year-old lefty is coming off an impressive debut campaign with the Blue Jays organization, and he’s hoping to carry his strong finish from last season that saw him record a 2.51 ERA with 50 strikeouts over his final seven starts at High-A Vancouver into 2024.

Opening this season with the Bisons means that Macko will skip the Double-A level, at least to begin his second campaign in Toronto’s system. As such, he’ll likely join a Triple-A staff headlined by top prospect Ricky Tiedemann and Dallas, as well as Cuban righty Yariel Rodriguez.

Dallas opened last season in Vancouver before quickly advancing to New Hampshire, where he racked up 107 punchouts and earned a 4.10 ERA over 96.2 innings in 18 starts. He’s made three Grapefruit League appearances with the Blue Jays this spring, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and one walk while fanning seven in 4.1 innings.

Tiedemann, scheduled to make his 2024 spring debut Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, has been slowed by a knee/hamstring injury early in camp. But after looking dominant in his side session last weekend, all signs point to the young left-hander being ready to go.