Tiedemann's comeback begins with first appearance in 706 days

BOSTON -- It had been 706 days since Ricky Tiedemann last climbed a mound and threw a pitch.

No, not in a bullpen, not in a pitching lab and not to a hitter wearing the same colors as him. A real, live game where they keep the score. Finally, it came Tuesday afternoon for Tiedemann, who made his first appearance since July 10, 2024, with the FCL Blue Jays.

The lefty allowed one run on two hits over an inning of work, striking out two batters. Those numbers don’t matter much right now; all that matters is that they exist. It says “Tiedemann” in a box score for the first time in nearly two years.

Tiedemann is still the Blue Jays’ No. 4 prospect, his incredible talent keeping him afloat throughout the injuries, but even he has reached the point where results need to follow. Prior to the surgery in 2024, we didn’t see the real Tiedemann; his elbow issues had crept forward until they could no longer be avoided. We’re left to reach back to 2022-23 to find Tiedemann’s potential. When we’re talking about prospect development, that feels like a decade ago.

There’s another side to this, though, balancing out the bad news. Given the injuries and the waves of hype that have existed between them, it feels like we’re talking about a 28-year-old former top prospect, but we’re not. Tiedemann is just 23 years old. There’s still so much time and so much talent to work with.

In Spring Training, Tiedemann sounded so energized about the upcoming season. That was just before his setback with left elbow soreness, but Tiedemann had all the right ideas, trying to become more of a true pitcher and not just a gifted athlete who throws a baseball very, very hard. Tiedemann is built like a linebacker, and at times, he’s pushed the limits of what a pitcher can do physically. Coming into camp, he was working to adjust that.

“You see a lot of guys who are wiry and lanky, or they’re big guys, but you’ll never see a guy who is shredded out there year-round,” Tiedemann said this spring. “It’s not what a pitcher does to stay out there. Finding that out and finding the right weight where I feel easy, efficient and athletic -- and just staying healthy -- that’s the biggest thing. I did gain weight before I got hurt, and I felt really strong, but I wasn’t as quick or as efficient or as smooth as I should have [been]. Now, I [am].”

There’s still a long road back, and the coming days of Tiedemann’s recovery will be crucial. If the Blue Jays can get him up to Triple-A this summer, pitching on a regular schedule out of the bullpen, that’s a success. Of course, the perfect outcome here is still a turbocharged lefty out of Toronto's bullpen, but one small step at a time.

Tuesday afternoon was the first small step. This time, Tiedemann needs to keep those steps going, one after the other.