CLEVELAND -- Ricky Tiedemann (No. 11 prospect) and Sean Keys (No. 6 prospect) headlined a flurry of roster moves Tuesday prior to the biggest series of the Blue Jays’ season against the Guardians.
These Sept. 1 roster expansions aren’t what they used to be, when the full 40-man roster opened up and players would be spilling into the hallways with makeshift “lockers” on the road, but this is still a crucial opening for the Blue Jays. Looking for upside anywhere they can find it, Tiedemann and Keys represent exactly that.
The Blue Jays also added veteran lefty Joe Mantiply back to the roster, who’s been out since May with left knee inflammation, and the versatile Josh Smith, who’s also back from the IL after working through a hamstring injury.
Looking down the stretch at the Blue Jays’ final 24 games in this tight AL Wild Card race, this is how Tiedemann and Keys could contribute:
LHP Ricky Tiedemann:
The 24-year-old lefty got a brief taste of the big leagues when he made his debut back on Aug. 15, but quickly returned to the Minor Leagues and has only helped himself since then with four scoreless outings (5 IP) for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
COMPLETE BLUE JAYS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The first variable to track in the coming weeks is how often the Blue Jays can use Tiedemann. Down in Triple-A, he was taking three days between outings, all part of the plan as the Blue Jays work him back in following a long recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2024. Ideally, those windows will be a little tighter in the big leagues, as the Blue Jays keep a close eye on how he’s bouncing back the next day.
“On days where he’s had a couple of days off, he can throw a couple innings and hopefully rebound quickly,” Schneider said, “and not be sitting out there for a couple of days not doing anything.”
When he’s out there, Tiedemann is this bullpen’s ultimate X-factor. Toughing 98 mph with his fastball from the left side, Tiedemann also throws a slider and changeup that can both produce ugly swings from big-league hitters. His talent has never been questioned, going back to his days as the organization’s No. 1 prospect, but his health has gotten in the way too often. If that stays out of the way, Tiedemann isn’t just a fun, short-term flamethrower, and he could be an extremely important piece of this group long-term.
INF Sean Keys
Let’s start with the obvious. Keys can hit the baseball very hard and very far.
He’s homered 29 times this season between Double-A, Triple-A and the big leagues. Schneider called Keys “our best hitter in terms of power that we had” off the roster, so it makes all the sense in the world for the Blue Jays to add him again for September.
The adjustments game bit Keys in his first taste of big-league action, so it’s now his turn to land the counterpunch. For Schneider, there’s nothing complicated about it.
“Hit breaking balls,” Schneider said. “He did a good job of that the last month down in Triple-A. For a small sample size [in MLB], it seemed like the league caught onto that a little bit. Either seeking some of those out or laying off some of those that he should lay off.”
Keys’ defensive profile has changed a bit since we last saw him, too.
“First, third and a little bit of left,” Schneider said. “On days he’s not starting, it’s a bat on the bench. It’s definitely an area where we can have him in there against tough righties, too, whether that’s at first base, third base or DH. We’ll try to get him in as much as we can.”
Over the past week in Triple-A, Keys made three starts in left field, the first time he’s played the outfield in his pro career. It’s a big ask, but the Blue Jays have shown a willingness in recent years to play someone “out of position” in an effort to maximize their lineup, which is worth considering down the stretch as they look for any way possible to generate runs.