Blue Jays top prospect officially needs Tommy John surgery, stalling development once again

Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Tiedemann will undergo Tommy John surgery, Toronto manager John Schneider told media Saturday.

The highly-touted prospect will undergo the UCL reconstruction procedure on Tuesday. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery, and the typical recovery time is about 12 to 18 months. That means the left-hander will miss all of the 2025 season as well, another blow to an organization in short supply of pitching depth.

Tiedemann saw a pair of elbow specialists earlier in the week for second and third opinions. The 21-year-old hurler landed on the Injured List in April with "elbow discomfort" after making three starts for Triple-A Buffalo. Tiedemann was 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA and 2.00 WHIP over eight innings in those three appearances for the Bisons.

After a rehab stint, Tiedemann made one more appearance for Buffalo, but left the game early because of forearm tightness. He threw 27 pitches in one inning, walking three while allowing one hit and one run.

Since the Blue Jays made him a third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Tiedemann's potential has been exciting to think about for an organization low on homegrown talent. He was selected to pitch in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game, and because of his quick rise, played for four teams in the organization. Between those teams, which included one game in Buffalo, Tiedemann struck out 82 over 44 innings while sporting a 3.68 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

To close out 2023, Tiedemann was brilliant in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros. In four games with Surprise, Tiedemann went 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 18 innings, earning pitcher of the week honors in October. Tiedemann was named Pitcher of the Year at the end of the season, and landed on the All-AFL Team.

Ranked as Jays Journal's No. 1 prospect, Tiedemann is seen by others in the industry as the Blue Jays' top prospect. But his rise has been marred by injuries, such as being scratched from the Spring Training opener in February because of hamstring discomfort. He spent time on the IL last season with a biceps issue, which aside from the AFL was his first lost season. Meanwhile, sites such as MLB.com keep pushing back Tiedemann's ETA in the majors, which was once listed as 2024.

He's still young, so Tiedemann does have time on his side. But, if there were health concerns before, those concerns are certainly going to get worse following a Tommy John procedure. There's no telling how Tiedemann's arm will respond after that. Also, there's no telling how well he can pitch after losing two full seasons of development. Tiedemann has only thrown 140 innings over three seasons in the minors.

Tiedemann's injury is just another blow to what has been a terrible season for the Blue Jays organization. Aside from an underperforming roster, Toronto has had to deal with things such as the Orelvis Martinez's suspension. One thing's for sure, Jays fans have made their feelings clear.