When it comes to starting pitching for 2026, the Toronto Blue Jays look covered on paper. But, one can never have enough.
The emergence of Trey Yesavage was one of the best stories in baseball last season. The 2024 first-round pick went from Class-A Dunedin to the World Series. He should be a part of Toronto’s 2026 rotation.
But, lost in Yesavage’s rise — and a major injury from 2024 — is the fact that he’s not the only big deal pitching prospect in the system. In fact, Ricky Tiedemann was that guy before Yesavage even joined the organization.
Now, MLB.com has included Tiedemann in its year-end piece on prospects to watch for the 2026 season. But it’s worth diving into Tiedemann’s journey to explain why he’s come to this point.
Ricky Tiedemann’s Breakout Chance
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Tiedemann hasn’t pitched in a game since 2024. That’s because during that season he suffered an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He didn’t pitch in 2025 as he was recovering, but the franchise expects him to be ready to go for spring training. While Toronto isn’t going to push him, there are good reasons to believe he could be an option for them sometime next season.
Before the injury he had already reached the highest level of the organization. He pitched at every level of Toronto’s system. For his career he is 5-10, but has a 3.02 ERA in 41 starts, with 226 strikeouts and 68 walks in 140 innings.
He can be dominant. In his first minor league season in 2022 he went 5-4 but had a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts. He struck out 117, walked 29 and allowed batters to hit just .149 against him. Before his injury in 2024, he was 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA but batters were hitting only .206 against him. He has a lifetime. .173 opponent batting average.
A win-loss record in the minor leagues doesn’t always tell the story of a prospect’s improvement. But perhaps this does. MLB Pipeline has had Tiedemann among the Blue Jays’ top prospects even while he was recovering. Per the site is the Blue Jays’ No. 4 prospect. Yesavage is No. 1.
The left-hander had outstanding velocity and raw stuff before the injury. He may be a starter when he returns. But Toronto has the luxury of seeing if his velocity and pitch array is well suited for a relief role. The Blue Jays are likely to give him a chance to do both in spring training.
It’s a tantalizing though. Yesavage starts a game and Tiedemann closes it out. But let’s not get ahead of the game. Tiedemann must get back on the field first. But, if he does, he’s position for a breakout in 2026. Â
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