GM Ross Atkins provides updates on Blue Jays’ prospects Orelvis Martinez, Ricky Tiedemann, and more

Over his last 74 plate appearances, the 22-year-old is slashing .150/.274/.300 with three homers for a 51 wRC+. Still, his K% of 20.3% is on the low side, while his BB% of 10.8% has seen an improvement.

As for what he’ll need to do to make the big league roster, Atkins noted he needs to play every day and will need to be average defensively at second base. For context, he has 11 errors in 226 innings at the position.

He’ll be on the big league roster at some point soon, but the cold streak and the subpar defence at second means he’ll remain in Triple-A.

Spencer Horwitz needs reps at left field and second base

One player who really doesn’t need any more playing time in Triple-A is Spencer Horwitz. The 26-year-old first baseman is slashing .327/.454/.467 with two homers in 185 plate appearances, while owning a higher BB% (17.8%) than K% (15.1%).

However, the problem is as a first baseman/designated hitter, there really isn’t a place to play him on the big league roster. The everyday-first baseman spot is occupied by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., while the designated hitter role is taken by Justin Turner. The player Horwitz would be replacing is Daniel Vogelbach, who plays sparingly.

One way for Horwitz to get in the lineup is by taking reps at left field and second base. Last season, Horwitz played 24 games or 200.2 innings at left field, but has made just three starts at the position for 22 innings. For the first time in a long time, the Buffalo Bisons actually have an outfield full of pure outfielders: Nathan Lukes, Steward Berroa, Cam Eden, and Will Robertson. Not just that, but Addison Barger and Rafael Lantigua need reps out there as well.

As for second base, Horwitz has made three starts in 24 innings at the position, just one inning shy of matching his season high at the position, set last season. The 26-year-old has 83 career innings at second.

With all that being said, the Blue Jays really need his bat in the lineup, as his 15 doubles in the International League is tied for first in all of Triple-A.

Ricky Tiedemann throwing bullpens

Since his fantastic debut in the 2022 season, it’s been a rough go of things for Ricky Tiedemann. The aura of invisibility was eroded last season on top of a bicep injury, and he was hit around quite a lot in his eight innings prior to an elbow injury.

His ERA sits at 5.63, while his FIP stands at 10.51 in those eight innings, while his BB% has skyrocketed to 21.4%, and his K% dropped to 23.8% prior to landing on the Injured List. Well, the Blue Jays top prospect is throwing bullpens according to Ross Atkins.

It’s also noted that whenever he returns from his injury, which there is no timeline from, there won’t be an innings limit.

Landen Maroudis getting a second opinion

A few weeks ago, it was reported that right-handed pitcher Landen Maroudis was “seeking multiple opinions on his right elbow”, according to TSN’s Scott Mitchell.

Well, Atkins noted that he’ll now be getting a second opinion to see if that surgery will come.

Maroudis was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, and the 19-year-old was off to a terrific start. In 10.2 innings pitched with the Dunedin Blue Jays, Maroudis had a 0.84 ERA and a 2.55 FIP along with a 31.6 K% and a 10.5 BB%. On top of that, the stuff was jumping and he was generating a ton of whiffs on all of his pitches.

Hopefully, the recovery time won’t take too long.

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