Blue Jays’ top left-handed prospect is suddenly looking like a stretch-run weapon

One of the Toronto Blue Jays' top pitching prospects is making a case for a return to the majors. With rosters expanding by two players in September, left-hander Ricky Tiedemann may find himself back in Toronto's bullpen for the stretch run.

Tiedemann, 24, made his major league debut Aug. 15 against the New York Yankees, tossing 1.2 innings in the 4-1 win. The 2021 third-round pick allowed a run on two hits and struck out two, but was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo the next day.

Of course, since then, Tiedemann has been terrific for the Bisons. Since his return to Buffalo, Tiedemann has appeared in four games, throwing five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out six. The last two games were Aug. 26 and 29 against the Rochester Red Wings, who are currently leading the International League's second-half standings.

On Aug. 26, Tiedemann didn't allow anything over 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out two while throwing 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes. Three days later, Tiedemann allowed just a hit over his 1.2 innings, stranding both of his inherited runners while striking out two and inducing three groundouts. He threw 14 of his 20 pitches for strikes, with his fastball averaging 95.4 mph and topping out at 97.3 mph.

Ricky Tiedemann could give the Blue Jays another reliable lefty in the pen

There are some prospects who could help the Blue Jays in the wild card race this year — Sean Keys being one of them — and Tiedemann certainly fits that description. Toronto's 11th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com, Tiedemann could give the Blue Jays another reliable lefty in the bullpen, aside from Mason Fluharty and the inconsistent Brendon Little.

Toronto hasn't abandoned plans to have Tiedemann pitch as a starter, but for this season he could be an effective reliever that could help the Blue Jays pen improve on its 3.79 ERA, which is ninth in the majors. The pitching staff will need fresh arms, as the injury bug struck again with Shane Bieber going on the IL recently.

Tiedemann's option back to Buffalo was more about Little returning to the team, but it may have also been about Tiedemann's health. Little has more experience, and Tiedemann has been through a lot physically over the last couple of years. This season, Tiedemann was hampered by elbow soreness until he was activated from the minor-league injured list in August. He had Tommy John surgery in 2024, which typically takes about 18 months to recover from. Another reason to keep Tiedemann in the bullpen is to limit how much he pitches, which in turn limits the chance of a setback but allows him to keep developing as a pitcher.

Now that his fastball is back to its regular 97-98 mph range, and his control has seemingly improved, Tiedemann can be a real asset as the Blue Jays try to get back to the playoffs. His consistency in Buffalo shows he may be a big help in the fall — which may remind some of Trey Yesavage in 2025 — and the Blue Jays could use all the help they can get.

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