Ricky Tiedemann, if he can stay healthy, could be a big weapon for the Jays.
The Toronto Blue Jays made a series of roster moves on Sunday, sending down top pitching prospects Jake Bloss and Ricky Tiedemann to Triple-A.
Now, it's not surprising on either front. Bloss had Tommy John surgery last season and may not pitch at all this year, though he could be back in the second half. Tiedemann missed all of 2025 because of his own Tommy John surgery in 2024 and didn't return until the Arizona Fall League.
He's already dealt with some arm discomfort this spring, setting him back, though the reports ultimately came back fine.
Once of the top pitching prospects in the game, he's still just 23 years old. He's still ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline, but he hasn't pitched more than 45 innings in a season since 2022.
Despite all of those hurdles, he could still play a role for the Blue Jays this season and his health and development will be fascinating to watch as the season progresses.
How do the Jays see him moving forward?
By early reports, the Blue Jays still see him as a starter, and that makes sense considering Kevin Gausman is a free agent after the 2026 season, as is Eric Lauer. Jose Berrios has two years left on his contract. There will be openings in the rotation in the next few seasons that Tiedemann could fill.
Furthermore, strikeout stuff like his doesn't grow on trees. He fanned 82 batters in 2023 in just 44.0 innings. He struck out 117 in 78.2 innings in 2022. He would be a major boon to any rotation.
How will they handle him this year?
Even if the Blue Jays see him as a starter moving forward, they may be forced to handle him much differently this year. What's their innings limit on him? Do they give him a series of short starts to keep him on a starters routine or do they bring him out of the bullpen and hope to just his number of appearances up? Can his arm handle the up-down nature of the bullpen?
Or, could the Blue Jays make him a starter at the beginning of the season and then transition him later in the season to the bullpen?
If they wanted to do that, they could potentially use him in the major leagues down the stretch, where he could be an excellent weapon as the team battles for a World Series run.
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