Blade Tidwell, one of the New York Mets ’ top pitching prospects, is getting the call-up for their series against the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend. The 23-year-old will make his debut in a spot start on Sunday. In Triple-A this season, he’s fifth in the International League with a 23.1 strikeout-to-walk percentage. His ERA isn’t great, but the IL average ERA this season is 4.48.
The Mets have been creative with their starting rotation. Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes specifically, could use an extra day of rest between starts. Instead of using a routine six-man rotation, they’ve called up bulk starters from the minors to pitch and get sent right back down. Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman have made appearances and pitched well. Nevertheless, they didn’t have any real shot of snagging a full-time rotation spot.
Is this one different?
Could Blade Tidwell earn a full-time spot in New York’s rotation?
If the young starter has a good outing against the Cardinals, he could earn a full-time rotation spot. Calling up and sending down minor leaguers have worked out well for the Mets, but they’re using a ton of options while doing so. Tidwell is someone New York holds in high regard. He has the potential to be a part of their starting rotation, so it would make sense to see him stay with the big-league club if he has success.
Tidwell is a strikeout machine with five pitches in his arsenal. He has a fastball that touches the upper 90s, along with a cutter, curveball, slider, and changeup. He utilizes almost all five, but he hasn’t used his cutter much in 2025. The Mets have done a tremendous job getting the best out of their veteran starters. Now fans finally get to see a pitching prospect show what he can do and a taste of seeing if they can develop young arms.