Minor League Baseball

MLB Pipeline Highlights Toronto Blue Jays' Ricky Tiedemann Amid Tommy John Recovery

Ricky Tiedemann underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, but the Toronto Blue Jays southpaw could reestablish himself as a top prospect once he returns to the mound.

Sam Connon

Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (70) throws a pitch in the first inning of the spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark.
Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (70) throws a pitch in the first inning of the spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
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While Tommy John surgery knocked Ricky Tiedemann off of his big league track, the Toronto Blue Jays top prospect still carries high expectations.

MLB.com's Ben Weinrib compiled a list of 15 prospects primed to bounce back from injuries in 2025. On the list, published Sunday, Tiedemann was one of the players Weinrib highlighted, even though he isn't expected to be ready to pitch again until late in the season.

Tiedemann was ranked as the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball entering the 2024 campaign. He then made just eight starts on the season – four of which were on rehab assignments – going 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA, 1.673 WHIP and 14 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 22-year-old went under the knife in July, cutting his season short.

Baseball America still has Tiedemann pegged as a top 100 prospect in its 2025 preseason rankings, but he fell off the lists that MLB Pipeline, Baseball Prospectus and The Athletic released.

Tiedemann was the Blue Jays' third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He went 5-4 with a 2.17 ERA, 0.864 WHIP and 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings, going from Single-A to High-A to Double-A in 2022, then posted an 0-5 record, 3.68 ERA, 1.227 WHIP and 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings across Rookie Ball, Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. At the 2023 Arizona Fall League, Tiedemann was 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA, 1.111 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

If Tiedemann can return to that level of production once he is medically cleared, he could make his MLB debut this season. And even if he doesn't reach the Show in 2025, he could challenge for a big league rotation spot once the contracts of Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt expire in 2026.

Related MiLB Stories

  • DUNEDIN SCHEDULE RELEASED: The Blue Jays' Low-A affiliate revealed their full 2025 slate, which gets underway with Opening Day on April 4. CLICK HERE
  • HATCH HEADS TO KANSAS CITY: Former Blue Jays pitcher Thomas Hatch has inked a minor league contract with the Royals in an effort to revive his career. CLICK HERE
  • KIERMAIER REJOINS BLUE JAYS: Fresh off winning the World Series with the Dodgers and announcing his retirement, Kevin Kiermaier is headed back to Toronto as a special assistant. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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