There’s some good news in regards to the injuries in the Blue Jays organization.

This is News and Notes, where we look at news and notes from around the Blue Jays organization. In this article, we’ll look at an update on a prospect, as well as some spot starters and a Canadian first baseman who hasn’t been seen (doing baseball activities) in months.
Let’s dig in!
<h2>Yimi García update</h2>
The tweets we’ll be looking at today come from Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, who quickly fired out about five in a short span. We’ll start with the bullpen ace, Yimi García.
Toronto’s bullpen has been shaky, to say the least, over the past few weeks. One reason for that is the health of the pen, and missing García to a back soreness hasn’t helped. He hasn’t pitched since April 28, but it appears he could be good to go in this series or be placed on the 15-day Injured List, presumably retroactively.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Yimi Garcia (back) plans to test things out before Tuesday’s game to determine if he’ll be available out of Blue Jays bullpen tonight or tomorrow
If he’s not ready to go, Blue Jays will have to consider an IL move; club has waited this long because of how effective Garcia’s been
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787953372139581566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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This season, García has a 0.68 ERA and a 2.39 FIP in 13.1 innings pitched, along with a 34 K% and 6.4 BB%. He’s been nothing short of great this season, and if the Jays need to sell, he could be a valuable piece.
<h2>Bowden Francis update</h2>
According to Zwelling, Bowden Francis threw a bullpen yesterday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. Zwelling also reported that when he pitches in rehab assignments (likely for Buffalo), he’ll start, but once returning, he’ll come out of the bullpen.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Bowden Francis (forearm) threw a bullpen Monday in Toronto that went well; scheduled to throw a two-inning side session Thursday
When Francis begins a rehab assignment, he&#39;ll be starting; but Blue Jays still envision him in a multi-inning relief role when he&#39;s ready to return
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787954145707671697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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It’s been a tough season for Francis, as he has an 8.59 ERA and a 6.01 FIP in 14.2 innings pitched, along with a 25 K% and a 10.3 BB%. Prior to hitting the Injured List, he had pitched four innings with no-run ball and was seemingly turning a corner until he was placed on the IL.
<h2>Chad Green update</h2>
Another painful loss in the bullpen, Green is playing long toss and could throw off a mound soon, according to Zwelling.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Chad Green (shoulder) is continuing to play long toss in Toronto; Blue Jays hopeful he’ll be throwing off a mound later this week
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955104534196615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Green hasn’t pitched since April 15, about a week shy of a month at this point. When he has pitched, he has a 2.35 ERA and a 5.49 FIP in 7.2 innings pitched, or seven outings. The K% sits at 25%, while his BB% of 7.1% is lower than last season’s 7.7 BB%.
The bullpen hasn’t been fully healthy all season, as Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano returned to the mound a day after Green last pitched. The Jays have had to rely on guys like Zach Pop and Nate Pearson.
<h2>Ricky Tiedemann update</h2>
Some news on the minor league side of things: Ricky Tiedemann has been out with an ulnar nerve issue for the past few weeks but has resumed throwing in Dunedin. While not on a mound yet, Zwelling reports that it could happen in the next few weeks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ricky Tiedemann (ulnar nerve) has resumed throwing from flat ground at Blue Jays complex in Dunedin; could be a couple weeks until he’s back throwing off a mound
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955220124946662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Toronto’s top prospect has had a rough season in 2024. With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the 21-year-old has a 5.63 ERA and a 10.50 FIP in eight innings pitched. Tiedemann’s K% is usually on the high side, but his 23.8 K% this season is the lowest at any level, albeit in a small sample size. Moreover, his 21.4 BB% is the highest he’s ever had.
<h2>Joey Votto update</h2>
In his first plate appearance for his hometown team, Joey Votto went deep during his first Spring Training game. However, he rolled his ankle on a loose bat in the dugout, and what seemed like a day-to-day injury has turned into a two-month adventure of “Where’s Votto?”
Zwelling clarified the situation, reporting that he’s still ramping up baseball activities and that the next step will be live at bats.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Joey Votto (ankle) is in Dunedin continuing to ramp up baseball activity; said to be making good progress with hitting, fielding, throwing
Next steps will be live at-bats and then games. Votto made it clear to Blue Jays he wants to be 100% healthy before he returns
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955487172083822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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It still seems like it’ll be at least a few weeks until Votto is ready to go for the Blue Jays, maybe even longer. Votto struggled with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, slashing .202/.314/.433 with 14 homers in 242 plate appearances for a 98 wRC+. However, the 2021 season proved that he was still one of the best-hitting first basemen, as he slashed .266/.375/.563 with 36 home runs in 533 plate appearances.
While the Jays probably won’t get that version of Votto (he’s 40), having that experience in the dugout will help.
<h2>Yariel Rodríguez update</h2>
Coming from Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae, Yariel Rodríguez will the Jays on Wednesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Injury Updates: *Yimi Garcia threw today, will let Schneid know if he can go 2day/tmrw *Yariel Rodriguez has been throwing in FLA, will join team tomorrow. *Chad Green increasing long toss, hope to get on mound this week. *Bowden Francis threw pen, went well, 2 up side Thursday.
&mdash; Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehazelmae/status/1787955456750797010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 27-year-old was placed on the 15-day Injured List due to “Thoracic Spine Inflammation” on April 30, which doesn’t sound all too fun. It sucks, because Rodríguez was off to a solid start to his big league career, posting a 4.11 ERA and a 4.51 FIP in 15.1 innings pitched in four games.
Hopefully, he returns to the roster sooner rather than later.
<hr />
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

There’s some good news in regards to the injuries in the Blue Jays organization.



This is News and Notes, where we look at news and notes from around the Blue Jays organization. In this article, we’ll look at an update on a prospect, as well as some spot starters and a Canadian first baseman who hasn’t been seen (doing baseball activities) in months.

Let’s dig in!
<h2>Yimi García update</h2>
The tweets we’ll be looking at today come from Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, who quickly fired out about five in a short span. We’ll start with the bullpen ace, Yimi García.

Toronto’s bullpen has been shaky, to say the least, over the past few weeks. One reason for that is the health of the pen, and missing García to a back soreness hasn’t helped. He hasn’t pitched since April 28, but it appears he could be good to go in this series or be placed on the 15-day Injured List, presumably retroactively.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787953372139581566

This season, García has a 0.68 ERA and a 2.39 FIP in 13.1 innings pitched, along with a 34 K% and 6.4 BB%. He’s been nothing short of great this season, and if the Jays need to sell, he could be a valuable piece.
<h2>Bowden Francis update</h2>
According to Zwelling, Bowden Francis threw a bullpen yesterday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. Zwelling also reported that when he pitches in rehab assignments (likely for Buffalo), he’ll start, but once returning, he’ll come out of the bullpen.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787954145707671697

It’s been a tough season for Francis, as he has an 8.59 ERA and a 6.01 FIP in 14.2 innings pitched, along with a 25 K% and a 10.3 BB%. Prior to hitting the Injured List, he had pitched four innings with no-run ball and was seemingly turning a corner until he was placed on the IL.
<h2>Chad Green update</h2>
Another painful loss in the bullpen, Green is playing long toss and could throw off a mound soon, according to Zwelling.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955104534196615

Green hasn’t pitched since April 15, about a week shy of a month at this point. When he has pitched, he has a 2.35 ERA and a 5.49 FIP in 7.2 innings pitched, or seven outings. The K% sits at 25%, while his BB% of 7.1% is lower than last season’s 7.7 BB%.

The bullpen hasn’t been fully healthy all season, as Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano returned to the mound a day after Green last pitched. The Jays have had to rely on guys like Zach Pop and Nate Pearson.
<h2>Ricky Tiedemann update</h2>
Some news on the minor league side of things: Ricky Tiedemann has been out with an ulnar nerve issue for the past few weeks but has resumed throwing in Dunedin. While not on a mound yet, Zwelling reports that it could happen in the next few weeks.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955220124946662

Toronto’s top prospect has had a rough season in 2024. With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the 21-year-old has a 5.63 ERA and a 10.50 FIP in eight innings pitched. Tiedemann’s K% is usually on the high side, but his 23.8 K% this season is the lowest at any level, albeit in a small sample size. Moreover, his 21.4 BB% is the highest he’s ever had.
<h2>Joey Votto update</h2>
In his first plate appearance for his hometown team, Joey Votto went deep during his first Spring Training game. However, he rolled his ankle on a loose bat in the dugout, and what seemed like a day-to-day injury has turned into a two-month adventure of “Where’s Votto?”

Zwelling clarified the situation, reporting that he’s still ramping up baseball activities and that the next step will be live at bats.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1787955487172083822

It still seems like it’ll be at least a few weeks until Votto is ready to go for the Blue Jays, maybe even longer. Votto struggled with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, slashing .202/.314/.433 with 14 homers in 242 plate appearances for a 98 wRC+. However, the 2021 season proved that he was still one of the best-hitting first basemen, as he slashed .266/.375/.563 with 36 home runs in 533 plate appearances.

While the Jays probably won’t get that version of Votto (he’s 40), having that experience in the dugout will help.
<h2>Yariel Rodríguez update</h2>
Coming from Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae, Yariel Rodríguez will the Jays on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/thehazelmae/status/1787955456750797010

The 27-year-old was placed on the 15-day Injured List due to “Thoracic Spine Inflammation” on April 30, which doesn’t sound all too fun. It sucks, because Rodríguez was off to a solid start to his big league career, posting a 4.11 ERA and a 4.51 FIP in 15.1 innings pitched in four games.

Hopefully, he returns to the roster sooner rather than later.

<hr />

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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