Latest on Blue Jays Top Pitching Prospects Yesavage, Tiedemann

[Leo Morgenstern]

Trey Yesavage and Ricky Tiedemann are two of the Blue Jays' top pitching prospects. Yesavage will play a key role for Toronto in 2026. Tiedemann could make an impact of his own. Yet, with just over two weeks left until Opening Day, neither has pitched in a spring training contest. 

The Blue Jays are taking things extra slow with Yesavage to increase the chances that he's strong and healthy when the games matter most. That has meant keeping him out of Grapefruit League play thus far. However, MLB.com's Keegan Matheson reported on Tuesday that the young right-hander will pitch two innings in a minor league spring training game later today. It remains unclear what the plan is after that, but at least Yesavage will finally see some game action. As much as the team wants to protect him, pitching in actual competitive spring training baseball games is necessary if he's going to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Tiedemann was shut down with elbow soreness in late February. Tests came back negative for anything serious, but considering he hasn't pitched since July 2024 (Tommy John surgery), the Jays weren't going to take their chances. The lefty is on the 40-man roster now and has a very good chance to join Toronto's bullpen at some point in 2026, but rushing him back to the mound (and rushing him up to the majors) would be short-sighted.

The good news is that, according to Matheson, Tiedemann started throwing again on Monday. He'll need time to ramp up safely, but this is a step in the right direction. He has already been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, so it's safe to say he's officially ruled out for Opening Day. Still, it might not be long before we see Tiedemann on the mound at the Rogers Centre.

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[Spanky__99]

Please Tiedemann... get it right, kid.