Toronto Blue Jays Provide Mixed Update on Injured Top Prospect

The Toronto Blue Jays, currently floundering at the Major League level, have given a mixed report at the minor league level on the health and progress of top prospect Ricky Tiedemann.

Feb 19, 2024; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (70) stretches at the Blue / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays, who are currently languishing at the Major League level, have provided some updates down on the farm with regards to top prospect Ricky Tiedemann.

Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet on social media:

Ricky Tiedemann (ulnar nerve) has resumed throwing from flat ground at Blue Jays complex in Dunedin; could be a couple weeks until he’s back throwing off a mound

Ricky Tiedemann (ulnar nerve) has resumed throwing from flat ground at Blue Jays complex in Dunedin; could be a couple weeks until he’s back throwing off a mound

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) May 7, 2024

It's good news that he's able to throw again, but it's obviously a downer to know that he won't even be game ready for at least a month - and probably more.

Tiedemann, who is the No. 1 prospect in the organization (per MLB.com), was out to a rough start this year at Triple-A. He's 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 8.0 innings, but he has struck out 10.

Given the Jays question marks with the No. 5 starter spot at the Major League level, there had been hope that Tiedemann may be ready to make the jump to the big leagues early this season, but now that is definitely not the case. Unfortunately, he has an extensive injury history that saw him make only 15 starts in 2023 and he also missed time early in spring training this year, so the team will undoubtedly play it safe with him, leading us to wonder if he'll even debut at all this season.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The 6-foot-4 left-hander can run his fastball up to 98 mph and it generally sat at 93-96 over the top two levels of the Minors this past summer. His low three-quarters arm slot helps the heater play above the velocity too, making the four-seam a true plus pitch. His swings-and-misses, however, come from the offspeed -- a low-80s sweeping slider that has gotten better in pro ball and a mid-80s changeup that can dive below bats. He does well against fellow lefties but was an absolute menace against opposite-side batters in 2023, holding them to a .186 average and a .196 slugging percentage over 123 plate appearances.

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