Blue Jays news: Tiedemann back in Buffalo, Yesavage to the IL, Guerrero Jr. gets a breather

Wednesday afternoon was a busy day for the Toronto Blue Jays' front office. Fresh off the trade deadline, they stayed on the pulse by making some moves internally that affected players all over the roster.

One of which was seeing Ricky Tiedemann get activated to the Triple-A roster. Tiedemann hasn't thrown a pitch with the Buffalo Bisons in two years. He pitched nine innings at that level in 2024 before he underwent Tommy John surgey, something he has been working back from ever since, with several set backs due to other ailments.

Tiedemann finally appears to be healthy though, as he threw a couple of clean innings with Single-A Dunedin last month. If he can have a strong finish to the 2026 season, he could be in line to compete for a spot in the Blue Jays' rotation in 2027.

At 23-years-old, the left-hander could be a very valuable depth piece to a Blue Jays team that was ravaged by injuries in 2026, and is looking for a bit of luck on the health side when things get going next year.

Case in point, Trey Yesavage is heading to the Injured List. The 23-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday (Aug. 5). He left Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros after he felt a pinch in his left knee while warming up in the third inning.

Luckily for the Blue Jays big league rotation, they had planned to go to a six-man rotation with José Soriano, Jameson Taillon, Max Scherzer, Dylan Cease, and Shane Bieber all expected to get starts down the stretch. The injury to Yesavage drops them back into a five-man unit for the time being.

The Blue Jays also activated a pair of right-handed relievers in Chase Lee and Lazaro Estrada before their series finale against the Astros, while optioning Chad Dallas to Triple-A. Dallas pitched in three innings in relief after Yesavage exited the game.

Lastly, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was held out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston. According to manager John Schneider it's, "just a day off." He added, "He wants to be out there, he wants to be contributing more than he is. He's obviously frustrated, and it’s hot in here, and we're playing a lot of games in a row coming up, so we'll just see how he is tomorrow offensively."

It's been a tough season for the "face of the franchise." Vladdy has hit just six home runs with an OPS of .690 in the first year of his 14-year, $500-million deal.

Blue Jays fans get first look at one of their new comers Josh Smith, against Astros

With Guerrero out, Josh Smith slots in. Acquired from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Adam Macko on Monday, Smith was penciled in at third base for Toronto against Houston. That moved regular third baseman, Kazuma Okamoto, over to first base.

The left-handed hitting Smith was scheduled to his sixth in the lineup. He was hitting .212/.297/.270 in 45 games with the Rangers prior to the trade. He was mostly used against right-handed pitchers, hitting .224 with a .609 OPS in 116 at-bats. He had only 21 at-bats against left-handers.

Smith real appeal is his super defensive ability, as he can play anywhere on the diamond. In 2026 alone he has logged innings at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and left field.

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