Blue Jays Ricky Tiedemann Shut Down For Short Period—But This Is Good News

 The Toronto Blue Jays had been holding their breath on the status of top prospect Ricky Tiedemann and his ailing throwing arm for the past week. The medical results are in, and while he will be shut down from throwing, for now it'll only be a week to 10 days, and this is essentially the best possible outcome from the elbow pain he was feeling last week.

Good news (relatively speaking) on #BlueJays No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann.

He has ulnar nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow and the club says he’s avoided anything more serious. He could start throwing again in “7-10 days”.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 26, 2024

Tiedemann has ulnar nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow, which is certainly good news compared to an ulnar collateral ligament injury, which could portend the possibility of Tommy John surgery. That, for now, is not the case, and a huge sigh of relief is being heard around the team.  

Manager John Schneider even said, “I’m confident he’ll be back soon.”

Tiedemann—the top-rated left-handed pitching prospect in baseball (#26 ranked prospect overall)—underwent an MRI about a week ago after experiencing left elbow discomfort. Naturally, nerves were frayed around the Jays organization until this diagnosis was confirmed.

The 21-year-old had been with the AAA Buffalo Bisons to start the season, but had gotten off to a rough start, surrendering nine walks and five earned runs in eight innings pitched. It's likely that the elbow inflammation had a lot to do with that.

He'll rest for a week to 10 days and then try to resume throwing. All sides involved will be hoping for the best at that point.

Photo:  Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports