The Hilarious Story of Ryan Waldschmidt's MLB Call-Up

Arizona Diamondbacks No. 1 prospect Ryan Waldschmidt had been hit in the helmet by a pitch while playing for the Triple-A Reno Aces just a few days prior to his MLB call-up. So being called into Aces manager Jeff Gardner's office raised no initial suspicion in the 23-year-old outfielder's mind.

Waldschmidt, assuming he'd be there to talk about his health, headed for Gardner's office — shirtless and oblivious.

"Dude, put on a shirt," Waldschmidt was told before going in. It was only then he began to detect that something about this meeting would be different.

Diamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt receives MLB call

Mar 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"At that point, I kind of knew something was up," Waldschmidt said, surrounded by the Phoenix media at his Chase Field locker.

Still, Gardner led off the meeting with some health talk. He asked Waldschmidt if he felt good enough to play a game the next day. The outfielder, who had played in Thursday night's game, said yes. But his manager told him he wouldn't be in Friday's lineup.

That, partially, is when it clicked for Waldschmidt. He was a big-leaguer.

"When he was like, 'I don't know if I can put you in [the lineup],' and when all the coaches were in there too," Waldschmidt said. "They were all sitting in there, and at that point, I had a feeling."

His first call was to his parents, who he said he talks to after every game he plays. His parents, who live in Florida, wait up to talk about his Mountain Time games in Reno.

But this time, Waldschmidt's parents were in New Orleans; they were preparing to watch his brother, Logan, pitch for the University of New Orleans.

Instead, Waldschmidt's family would have to hop on a flight to Phoenix, including his brother, who vacated his game with his coach's blessing.

"His coach was all on board for it, saying, 'man, that's a once in a lifetime opportunity for your brother, and I want you to be able to go see that.' So my brother's here, as well," Waldschmidt said.

Ryan Waldschmidt on mentality after MLB call-up

Arizona's newest outfielder is not in Friday's lineup, as he works on acclimating to the big-league environment. He is expected to play center field in Saturday's game.

Waldschmidt said the bustle of his MLB arrival was "a little hectic," but that it "felt great" to get down to business and take some swings at Chase Field.

"Just continuing to kind of just try and keep my same routine, even though it's a different place, and it might be a little bit of a bigger stage. ... it's been great so far. It's good to see everyone again," Waldschmidt said.

Of course, Waldschmidt knows his teammates already. They spent plenty of time together at Salt River Fields during spring training. In fact, Waldschmidt's .302/.348/.488 line in Cactus League play made many think he would break camp. He did not.

For as disappointing as that reality may have been at the time, Waldschmidt took it in stride. He vowed to put his best effort forward as a Reno Ace — an effort that is being rewarded just over a month into Triple-A play, thanks to his .289/.400/.477 Triple-A slash.

"The biggest thing for me is just being where your feet are. Whenever you look too far in the future, or you dwell too much on the past, that's not gonna help anything," he said.

"So for me, it was just to go there and just continue to put my work in every day, and be where my feet are... do what I could to help the Aces win baseball games. I thought if I did that, it would put me in a good position. And I'm here now, and that's the same mindset I'm gonna bring in here."

"This is a moment you look forward to your entire childhood, and even throughout my entire career so far," Waldschmidt said. "So just making sure to take it all in for now and just really enjoy the moment and just get ready to play."

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