A healthy Ricky Tiedemann would do wonders for Blue Jays’ 2027 rotation outlook

Pitching was a huge focus for the Toronto Blue Jays going into 2026. In fact, the front office was relentless in it's search to add arms to the rotation all winter and going into spring training, it looked like there wasn't going to be enough innings to give to everyone.

Unfortunately, the depth depleted incredibly quickly. Some players, such as José Berrios and Bowden Francis, didn't even get out of the gate before their season's ended. Others, such as Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage, took longer to get going. And then there was Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer who made the trip north, but their 2026 seasons' were derailed by injuries soon after Opening Day.

So it's not out of the question to think that GM Ross Atkins and the scouting staff are going to be searching far and wide for arms so that this team can compete again in 2027. They may not have to look to far if one of their internal candidates can keep trucking on the right track. Ricky Tiedemann, the Blue Jays' third round pick in the 2021 draft, returned to the mound for a rehab start with Single-A Dunedin earlier this week and that was welcomed news for the organization.

Tiedemann allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning on 18 pitches, 11 of which were strikes. He averaged 96.4 mph on his fastball, and it peaked at 97.7 mph.

The reason these results matter so much is because of Tiedemann's injury history. It had been 706 days between Tiedemann’s last appearance in 2024 and his first rehab appearance earlier this season, back on Jun. 16. He pitched again once after that outing in June and then was sidelined again. Tiedemann had some neck discomfort and received injections, leading to another month on the shelf. This all comes after he has already missed a year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The 23-year-old is expected to get back up to Triple-A at some point, but it all depends on how these short stints in Dunedin go as he gets to work out of the bullpen. That should be his focus for the remainder of the season, building himself back up and showing he can stay healthy over the long-term.

As the Blue Jays head into 2027, they will have roster spots up for grabs. There's a possiblity that only Dylan Cease and Yesavage will be around out of the current group of starters and that bodes well for players like Tiedemann who, had his development not been ravaged by injuries, would have been in a position to conted for a roster spot by this point.

Tiedemann not the only internal option for 2027

While Tiedemann would make for a great redemption-type story for the Blue Jays, he's not the only guy in the system that could be knocking on the door next season.

Nolan Perry has suffered a similar injury fate to Tiedemann since being drafted in the 12th round in 2022. But this year, Perry is not only healthy, he is dominating, cruising through three levels of pro-baseball, landing in Double-A New Hampshire just before the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he took a comebacker off the head on Jul. 19 and has been placed on the concussion protocol list. Perry is ranked as the team's No. 3 overall prospect and was listed on FanSided's Top 100 prospects in their post-draft rankings.

Jake Bloss, the team's No. 11 ranked prospect, has been pitching in Triple-A this season and the numbers aren't great, but at 25-years-old, it's likely he'll be given a shot at the rotation next season as long as he's healthy. He's another player that has some potential, and already has big league experience (11.2 innings pitched with the Houston Astros in 2024), but hasn't been able to stay healthy enough to get that next call up.

And don't count out Cole Carlon, who was just drafted by the Blue Jays a few weeks ago. The six-foot-five left-hander is being pegged as a guy who could reach the majors the fastest out of any player in the 2026 draft. The Blue Jays would love for Carlon to develop as a starter and getting him stretched out over the offseason could go a long way to helping his case for an Opening Day spot in 2027.

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