Ricky

Tiedemann

One of baseball’s premier pitching prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery last August, Tiedemann will be protected from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 23-year-old southpaw is expected to be ready for the start of spring training but will need to build up his workload before he’s an option for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff. His swing-and-miss raw stuff makes him an intriguing name to watch next spring, though he’s unlikely to reach Toronto before the latter part of next season barring any setbacks.

One of baseball’s premier pitching prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2024, Tiedemann progressed to throwing off a mound late last season but never returned to minor league action. The 23-year-old southpaw’s swing-and-miss raw stuff makes him an intriguing name to watch in Grapefruit League action, though he’s unlikely to reach Toronto before the latter part of next season barring any setbacks.

The Blue Jays’ former top prospect had Tommy John surgery in August of last year, so it’s nice to see him already getting on the mound in a game setting. He allowed one hit and struck out one while facing three batters on Tuesday. The Blue Jays will be cautious with their 22-year-old prospect and take his rehab slowly, but there’s a good chance Tiedemann will pitch in some Double-A or Triple-A games before the end of the 2025 season.

It seems like a long shot as Tiedemann underwent Tommy John surgery in July, but it’s not a foregone conclusion he couldn’t. Those games almost assuredly wouldn’t be with the Blue Jays, but the 22-year-old still has the upside to be a fantasy contributor in the latter part of the decade.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Friday that Tiedeman underwent a traditional Tommy John ligament replacement procedure, not a hybrid UCL repair with an internal brace, which would’ve carried a shorter recovery timetable. The 21-year-old top pitching prospect is likely to miss the entire 2025 season.

It’s an absolute gut punch for the Blue Jays as Tiedemann will likely wind up missing the entire 2025 season given the timing of the procedure. The 21-year-old southpaw was universally-regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball entering the year and wound up being limited to just eight starts this season due to an onslaught of injuries. There’s an argument to be made that he’ll wind up being a strong buy-low candidate for dynasty managers over the next few months, but after so much missed time it’s nearly impossible to predict whether Tiedemann’s stuff will ever bounce back to previously-elite levels.

After a first visit last week revealed no structural damage, the Blue Jays top pitching prospect is set to visit Dr. Keith Meister in Texas and Dr. Neal ElAttrache in California this week in an attempt to confirm the earlier diagnosis. The Blue Jays had hopes Tiedemann would pitch again this season, but we’ll have to wait for this week’s additional check-ups to make sure.

Ugh. That’s never what you want to hear. The dynamic 21-year-old southpaw just can’t seem to stay on the mound. He’ll undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of the injury. Tiedemann also missed time earlier this season with a nerve issue in his left elbow.

Tiedemann has looked extremely sharp in a handful of rehab outings as he works his way back into shape after missing time recovering from an early-April nerve issue in his left elbow. The 21-year-old southpaw is one of the top pitching prospects in the game and figures to return to action at Triple-A Buffalo prior to the All-Star break.

Tiedemann got his fastball up to 98.2 mph and threw 20 of 28 pitches for strikes in his first rehab outing since being shut down back in early April due to elbow nerve inflammation. The 21-year-old top pitching prospect’s stock has slipped a bit given his recent injury issues, but he’s still one of the most promising young arms in the game. If he can stay healthy, he has a shot to make his debut at some point later this summer.