After long journey through injuries in Minors, Tiedemann called up to make MLB debut

TORONTO -- Ricky Tiedemann is here. The Blue Jays have dreamed of this day, detours and all.

Sitting in the Blue Jays’ dugout just hours after being added to the big league roster, Tiedemann is right where he belongs. The talent has been there all along, but Tiedemann has just been waiting for his body to agree.

Those Spring Training days in 2022 and ‘23 were so special. Tiedemann, the third-round Draft pick out of junior college in ‘21, had taken a physical jump that stunned many around him. He was “built like a Greek god,” as one coach put it at the time, and his throwing sessions on those cool mornings in February and March had their own gravitational pulls. Established big leaguers stopped and stared, muttering quietly to one another.

“There was a live BP a couple of years ago,” manager John Schneider remembers. “I think he was facing [George] Springer, [Bo] Bichette and [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.]. They were all like, ‘Damn, that’s a pretty good three-pitch mix.’ It was one of those times where a guy who wasn’t even on the 40-man, you’re wandering around from field to field and it felt like everyone knew where Ricky was throwing.”

Tiedemann was the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect, but then he started battling his own left arm. Elbow issues came, then Tommy John surgery. He missed nearly two full calendar years, a long rehab slowed by a couple of setbacks. The hype faded and he has fallen to No. 11 on the Blue Jays’ top prospects list, but again, his talent hasn’t gone anywhere.

Tiedemann is being used as a reliever now, and given his history, that might be where he lives. The role could suit him so well, allowing him to lean on a fastball that can reach up to 98-99 mph when the adrenaline’s right. His slider has always been a great weapon, and it’s one he has made some adjustments to recently to keep his arm healthy. Then there’s a great changeup, a unique weapon for a reliever from the left side.

“It’s something to get used to, but it’s pretty exciting,” Tiedemann said. “It’s kind of like bringing it back to when you’re in travel ball. Your coach comes out and you’re in center field, but he brings you in to pitch in the middle of the game. It has that same feeling.”

This move is also another signal that the Blue Jays are, in the simplest terms, just going for it. It’s a “full send,” as Schneider says.

During this phase of his rehab, Tiedemann had made just five appearances, the three most recent in Triple-A. The Blue Jays are betting on talent alone here, and why not? This team needs upside, even if it comes with some risk factor, and that’s what makes Tiedemann so exciting. The Blue Jays aren’t just trying to play .500 baseball here, they’re trying to shock the league and bring their season back to life.

None of this has sunk in yet for Tiedemann. He was stuck rehabbing in Florida for so long, crediting big leaguers like Bowden Francis, Shane Bieber and Cody Ponce for helping him along the way. This has come so quickly after so long on the shelf, so until he experiences what life really looks like and sounds like on baseball’s biggest stage, he’s trying to breathe and appreciate the moment.

“It’s big, not only for me, but for anybody who sacrificed anything for me growing up,” Tiedemann said. “Getting me to games, my family and my parents, this is big for all of us as a family.”

Tiedemann isn’t here to be eased in, either. Could the Blue Jays even do that if they wanted to? When was their last 8-0 game with a soft spot for a rookie?

Tiedemann will be used against the Yankees and the upcoming Rays, both of whom have some serious left-handed hitters that will need to be handled. The Blue Jays don’t have time to wait on Tiedemann to settle in; they need to see that kid who had veterans crowded around the back fields in Dunedin, Fla., years ago.

“Everything is back. It’s dialed in,” Tiedemann said.

If it is? Look out.