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Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Ricky Tiedemann looks to regain form after Tommy John surgery
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Photo credit: © Jonathan Dyer - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 28, 2026, 15:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 28, 2026, 14:49 EST
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The 2026 season may be the year Ricky Tiedemann makes his long awaited debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Daulton Varsho. In this article, we’ll look at Ricky Tiedemann.
Drafted in the third round of the 2021 draft by the Blue Jays, Tiedemann quickly burst onto the scene as their top prospect in 2022. Beginning the 2022 season in Single-A, the tall left-handed pitcher posted a 1.80 ERA and 2.09 FIP in 30 innings pitched, with a 44.5 K% and an 11.8 BB%. He made eight starts in High-A, posting a 2.39 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 37.2 innings pitched, with a 36 K% and 8 BB%.
Tiedemann was called up to Double-A as a 19-year-old, a rather rare feat for a pitching prospect. In those four starts with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, he posted a 2.45 ERA and 2.23 FIP in 11 innings pitched, with a 38.9 K% and 9.6 BB%.
The 2022 season saw 54 pitchers in the Blue Jays system throw 40 or more innings. Tiedemann had the highest strikeout rate, highest K-BB%, the lowest FIP, and second-lowest ERA of those 54 pitchers. Because of that strong season, Tiedemann quickly jumped into MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.
Unfortunately, the 2022 season sits as Tiedemann’s magnum opus at this point. The following season, he had a 5.06 ERA and 2.12 FIP in 32 innings pitched with the Fisher Cats. He had a terrific K% as always, finishing with a 39.7 K%, but his BB% jumped to 13.7%. he lefty reached Triple-A in 2023, pitching a scoreless outing over four innings. On top of struggling with command, Tiedemann also spent a part of the season on the shelf with a bicep injury
Tiedemann couldn’t recap his 2022 form in 2024, as injuries plagued him that season. In total, Tiedemann made just eight starts, four in Triple-A, and during the summer, it was reported that Tiedemann underwent Tommy John surgery. The lefty missed the rest of the 2024 season and all of the 2025 season.
Tiedemann was added to the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster earlier this off-season, as he was Rule 5 eligible for the first time in his career. And it’s easy to see why the Jays did that, as his fastball touches the upper-90s with excellent secondary stuff. Command can be a bit of an issue, but any time a team finds a left-handed pitcher who throws heat like Tiedemann, they’re incredibly valuable.
It’s likely that the lefty will begin the 2026 season in Triple-A with the Bisons. Down the stretch, it’s not hard to envision Tiedemann being called up to throw heat out of the bullpen, but in an ideal world, he has a strong start to his season and forces the Blue Jays’ hands.
According to Steamer projections,  He’s projected to throw 42 innings, making five starts in 19 games, with a 4.03 ERA and 4.17 FIP. If Steamer is to be believed, his K% will drop to 23.8%, while he’ll have a 10.2 BB%.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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