After missing the entire 2025 season, Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann is back and ready to hit the ground running.

When the 23 year old was last on the mound in 2024, it was through an injury-riddled campaign. Early that season, Tiedemann was on the shelf for three months due to ulnar nerve inflammation in his left elbow. After recovering, he would exit again after just one inning in his first start back, eventually requiring Tommy John surgery on the same left elbow, ending not only his 2024 season, but his 2025 year in the process.

After a lengthy recovery, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound lefty is now healthy and relieved to be back.

“This is refreshing,” Tiedemann said to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. “When it got to that last day of being [in] rehab, and my trainers told me I’d be out of there tomorrow and moving to the other side, after 17 months, I wanted to just treat it like another day. Then I got home, and my teammates were like, ‘Let’s cook a steak for you, bro – that’s a big deal.’ That’s when I finally sat back: ‘Damn, I really did put my head down for that long.’”

Heading into the 2024 campaign, Tiedemann was one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, climbing to the No.29 spot in MLB.com’s prospect rankings entering the year. He would only go on to make eight starts between Triple-A, Single-A, and rookie ball that season, however, posting a 5.19 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in only 17.1 innings of work.

After being on the shelf for the entire 2025 campaign as well, Tiedemann has completed the long road to recovery and is ready to hit the mound once again.

“I feel amazing. Everything feels great,” Tiedemann said. “It’s just about seeing live batters and getting that feel back, but health-wise? Everything’s been money.”

When and where Tiedemann will contribute with the Blue Jays remains to be seen, but whenever and whatever the ask is, he’ll be ready, enthusiastically.

“Whatever the team needs, you ought to be ready for it and you ought to be excited for it. Not many guys get the opportunity. If you’re putting up the numbers, whether you’re starting or relieving, just to get that call would be a blessing for me. I’ll be ready. No matter when they call, I’ll be ready for it, and I’ll be excited.”

As for any top prospect, spring training will be the first chance to catch a glimpse of the healthy Tiedemann in the live action that he is seeking. There will be extra intrigue, however, to see just how far away the prospect is from reaching his once highly-touted ceiling.