The Blue Jays may not need to wait much longer to find out whether Ricky Tiedemann can help them in the majors this season.
Toronto’s rotation has been hit hard enough that a September look at the left-hander suddenly feels a lot less far-fetched. Jameson Taillon is dealing with right forearm tendinitis, Trey Yesavage had knee surgery and is week-to-week, and Spencer Arrighetti is still working through a foot issue after being diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma. The Blue Jays are hoping at least one of those arms can come back before the year ends, but there’s no guarantee the timeline breaks their way.
That uncertainty is exactly why Zachary Rotman’s FanSided suggestion stands out. In a piece naming one prospect each MLB team should call up by September, Rotman pointed to Tiedemann for Toronto and made the case that the club has little to lose by testing him in relief down the stretch. It’s a bold idea on the surface, but the logic is pretty simple: if Tiedemann is healthy, throwing hard and already working out of the bullpen, why not see what he can do?
The Blue Jays know the talent is there. When Tiedemann has been on the mound, he has shown the kind of power stuff that can change the look of a pitching staff.
His fastball has been climbing back into the upper 90s during this latest comeback, and he’s thrown one inning in each of his three outings with Triple-A Buffalo. For a former top prospect, that’s enough to keep the conversation alive.
“It’s more for John Schneider and Pete Walker to think about. For me, it’s more about throwing my game so when I get the call, I’m ready.”
Tiedemann’s path has been slowed by injuries, so the Blue Jays have to handle his workload carefully. That part is not up for debate.
What is up for debate is how Toronto should use him if the health checks out. Is he still a starter in the long run?
Has his best short-term fit become a high-octane reliever? Can his stuff work against big-league hitters in brief bursts?
Those are the kinds of questions the club can either keep kicking down the road or start answering in September.
That’s what makes this stretch so intriguing. Toronto doesn’t have to throw Tiedemann into the rotation or ask him to carry a heavy load.
It could simply give him controlled exposure against major league hitters and see how he handles it. If the team wants to keep him in a bullpen role, that could also open the door for someone like Spencer Miles or Simeon Woods Richardson to handle starts.
There’s also no reason Toronto has to treat this as an all-or-nothing call. If Taillon, Yesavage or Arrighetti gets healthy, the club can adjust.
If the injuries drag on, Tiedemann starts to look less like a long-term project and more like a real September option. MLB teams only get two call-up slots when rosters expand to 28 players, and that usually means extra pitching help is the priority.
The Blue Jays could also look at Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk, both of whom have already moved back and forth between Triple-A and the majors this season. So there are choices here. But Tiedemann is the one with the most upside, and the one who makes the most sense if Toronto wants to see something more than just depth.
The caution remains obvious: his health has to come first, and the Blue Jays can’t afford to be reckless with a pitcher who still carries real long-term value. Still, with Toronto sitting at 59-63 going into Thursday and its Wild Card hopes still alive, September could end up shaping this season in a major way.
It might be about more than evaluating 2027. It might be about finding help right now.
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