Who is Chad Dallas? What to know about Blue Jays' pitcher making MLB debut

This moment has been a long time coming for Chad Dallas.

The right-handed pitcher is expected to make his MLB debut on Thursday for the Toronto Blue Jays as the long reliever following opener Mason Fluharty.

It's a debut that for a while didn't seem like a sure thing at all.

But Dallas has arrived, and now he'll get a chance to prove he belongs in the major leagues.

Who is Chad Dallas?

Chad Dallas is a 25-year old right-handed pitcher who the Blue Jays drafted out of Tennessee in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

He has a 4.50 ERA through 10 outings at Triple-A Buffalo in 2026 prior to his MLB promotion.

Dallas didn't pitch a single inning in 2025 because he needed Tommy John surgery. He had to spend a year returning to full strength, and now his work has paid off as he comes to the major leagues.

The Blue Jays have seemingly been careful with Dallas coming off his injury -- he threw 36 innings across those 12 appearances in Buffalo, an average of three per outing.

In those 36 innings, he has 38 strikeouts, so Dallas' stuff has been working pretty well.

MORE: Outfielder retires from baseball to go play college football

Chad Dallas pitches in honor of dad

Chad Dallas' dad was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2019 and died more than a year ago.

His father, Tony, was a college pitcher at Panola College, the same school Chad Dallas began his college career at.

Now, Chad is pitching in honor of his dad as he makes his MLB debut.

More MLB news:

• Bo Bichette reveals his plans for his opt-out clause
• Bumpus Jones is trending for an 1892 accomplishment
• The last time a team was this bad at walking, it took 9 balls to earn a walk
• Chase Burns makes Reds history that hasn't been done in 104 years
• Guardians pitcher trying to complete incredible comeback