Former Tennessee baseball pitcher Blade Tidwell is headed to the MLB to play for the New York Mets.

This means he has to quickly pack his bags from the Mets' Triple-A squad in Syracuse to join the team for its road trip to St. Louis.

Unfortunately, his dog, Bentley, isn't able to make the trip with him just yet. The solution is having his former Vols and Triple-A teammate in Syracuse Drew Gilbert watch him in the meantime.

This familiarity with Gilbert doesn't necessarily make Tidwell confident, though. When asked if he trusts his long-time friend with his dog he responded, 'Not really.'

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

It won't be long before Tidwell gets the ball in the MLB. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced he'll be the starting pitcher for its game against the Cardinals on May 4.

"He earned it," Mendoza said. "We know the stuff is there. We saw flashes of it in Spring Training, and the way he’s been throwing the ball, especially lately … we needed a spot start, he put himself in position, and he’s getting the call."

Tidwell is ranked as the organization's No. 15 prospect in its pipeline. Sunday will mark his MLB debut as this is the first time he's been called up.

In 27 innings this season, Tidwell holds a 5.00 ERA. In his most recent pair of starts, he's struck out 18 hitters and walked only one.

Last season, with New York's Double-A affiliate, he pitched in seven games while earning a 2.41 ERA.

Gilbert's competitive nature has gotten him plenty of attention since his time at Tennessee. Most notably, he hit a walk-off grand slam in the 2021 Knoxville Regional and uncorked a hilariously high bat flip in response.

At Tennessee, Gilbert was a First-Team All-American as a junior in 2022. He was named to the All-SEC First-Team and All-Defensive Team while winning SEC Tournament MVP when the Vols took the crown in 2022.

In his final year, the starting center fielder hit for a .362 average with 11 home runs. He also pitched as a freshman and sophomore for a total of 16.1 innings with a 2.76 ERA.

He was a first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, being selected 28th overall.

He began his pro career in the Astros' organization before being traded to the Mets. In the 2025 season, he is hitting at a .306 average and .408 on-base percentage. He has 11 runs, 11 RBI and a pair of home runs.

MLB.com ranks Gilbert as the No. 10 prospect in the Mets' system.

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.