Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Green dominate in single-A rehab outings

Despite being rained out a night ago, the first of two during Saturday’s doubleheader involving the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays was worth the wait, as Toronto Blue Jays top prospect Ricky Tiedemann and veteran reliever Chad Green dazzled in their latest rehab appearances.

Tiedemann, recovering from a left biceps injury, was making his second rehab start after tossing two scoreless innings in the Florida Complex League on July 21. And the 20-year-old hurler certainly didn’t disappoint.

Pitching with seven runs of support, the left-hander punched out six Tampa Tarpon hitters across three near-perfect innings, with a two-out walk in the third being the only baserunner to reach against him. He threw 47 pitches, 29 of which were strikes, before handing things over to Green to begin the fourth.

Toronto’s third-round selection from 2021 leaned on his explosive four-seamer – which averaged 95.7 m.p.h. and maxed out at 97.6 – and used it over 50 per cent of the time. It was responsible for two of his six strikeouts, generating three swinging strikes on 12 swings.

Tampa’s lineup had no answers against his sweeper, producing six whiffs on nine swings, including four punchouts. As a result, it created a sparkling 56 per cent called-strike-plus-whiff percentage on a 38 per cent usage.

Before landing on the IL in May, Tiedemann made four starts with double-A New Hampshire, posting a 4.97 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 12.2 innings. He will likely continue to build up his stamina in Dunedin before returning to the Fisher Cats’ rotation.

Green, meanwhile, picked up exactly where Tiedemann left off versus the Tarpons, striking out the side in order following a fielding error by shortstop Manuel Beltre. The 32-year-old returned to face one more batter in the fifth, inducing a three-pitch flyout before departing for the day.

Of the 18 pitches (14 strikes) Green threw, 12 were four-seamers, inducing four whiffs on seven swings and a trio of strikeouts. Its velocity flashed similar readings to his first two rehab outings, averaging 94.1 m.p.h. and touching as hard as 94.9.

The former New York Yankee, who signed a two-year deal worth $8.5 million with Toronto last off-season, has now completed 3.1 scoreless innings in three rehab games with Dunedin. He has surrendered just two hits while punching out four.

As such, Green’s next challenge in his Tommy John recovery process will likely occur at triple-A Buffalo.