Nearly three years to the date in which he last found himself pitching in Double-A, Turlock native Blake Cederlind is back in the Texas League as he continues to attempt one of the more improbable comebacks in professional baseball.

Cederlind, who signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in early April as first reported by the Turlock Journal, was promoted from rookie ball in the Arizona Complex League to Double-A Amarillo on July 3, and is already producing positive results as he tries to battle back to the big leagues.

The 30-year-old right-handed reliever, who appeared in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020, made his debut for the Sod Poodles on July 5 against the San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres), where he gave up one hit, struck out a batter and forced a double play in a scoreless fifth inning. Cederlind took the bump again on July 9 against the Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners) and worked around two walks with a punchout in another scoreless frame.

In his two months in the Arizona Complex League leading up to the recent promotion, the former Turlock High and Merced College standout appeared in six games, striking out five over 6 2/3 innings.

On top of the strong statistics, Cederlind’s trademark fastball that made him a top prospect with the Pirates between 2016 and 2020 is back to its lethal form, living between 99 to 102 miles per hour.

“I’m happy that I’m getting back into it and the opportunity the D-Backs are giving me,” Cederlind told the Journal on Thursday. “They’ve made the transition easy. The organization is so awesome and they just get it. It’s been great so far.

“I feel as confident as ever. I've always been a pretty competitive guy, I get a lot of adrenaline on the mound, and things just sync up for me. And so far, things have been really good. I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now.”

Cederlind made his MLB debut with Pittsburgh on Sept. 15, 2020 during the COVID-shortened, 60-game season. At the time, he was the sixth former Bulldog to ever appear in the big leagues. He’d make five appearances with the Bucs, tossing four innings, striking out four batters and allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk. His career was upended when he required two operations on his throwing elbow at the end of the season, including Tommy John surgery.

After being sidelined for two years rehabbing the elbow, Cederlind inked a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in 2023. He had seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings over five appearances between the Arizona Complex League and Double-A San Antonio, but had an 11.57 ERA with six earned runs given up on five hits and seven walks before being released. He’d soon have another surgery to repair a torn meniscus, capping a series of events that led Cederlind to admittedly begin to question if he’d ever return to the mound in a professional setting.

“My goal was always to return from Tommy John and get back to the same numbers, have the same impact as I did (with Pittsburgh),” Cederlind said. “The surgeries, the rehabs, it’s a lot. I was exhausted.”

Cederlind even explored insurance sales as a post-playing career. He also wanted to give back to the game he loved and planned on joining the coaching staff for the Turlock High School varsity baseball team this past year.

Then, he went to the World Series.

Attending one of the games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays at Chavez Ravine in November, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder felt reinvigorated.

“I went to a World Series game with a buddy, and it relit the fire in me,” Cederlind said. “I was like, "Shoot, I could be out there. That could be me.”

His older brother, Zack, agreed.

“My brother really pushed me,” Cederlind said. “He was like, "Dude, do it. You're healthy and the strongest you've ever been.”

Cederlind agreed with the sentiment: “He was right. After the meniscus surgery, I wasn’t playing. I didn’t have to try to play through anything and I kind of allowed myself to fully heal my body that entire year. I got healthy, and I was just working out, stacking weight. Things kind of came together.”

It was also his brother that dedicated time to be Cederlind’s throwing partner once the comeback attempt commenced in November.

“Every single day, whenever I got off work, I was throwing the ball,” Cederlind said. “Five or six days a week, at the end of the ditch — or hit the ditch at the end of the road — we were there playing catch.”

Catch eventually turned into short bullpen sessions at Mark de la Motte Field on the campus of Turlock High School. That then turned into him throwing live to the Bulldog ballplayers.

“Some of the kids were saying that they had faced a guy throwing 96, and they felt my stuff was faster,” Cederlind said. “I didn't know how serious they were, but I knew I was throwing hard and I felt pretty good. I thought maybe I was at like 97 or 98 mph. I really didn’t know.”

Cederlind hadn’t even been recording himself or sending out footage to MLB organizations in hopes of landing an opportunity. In fact, he was set on testing his skills in independent ball. In March, though, the Diamondbacks cold called him and asked if he was still throwing, as some scouts and analysts remained intrigued by his talents in previous seasons.

“And I had obviously been throwing for months when the D-Backs randomly reached out,” Cederlind said.

At a tryout March 26 and 27 in Arizona, Cederlind’s fastball was consistently hitting triple digits, and without a full spring training, topped out at 102, just as he is doing regularly with the Sod Poodles. Cederlind and the Diamondbacks would agree to terms during the first week of April.

“It’s really exciting what’s happening with Blake,” said Turlock High skipper Mike Souza in April. “He was around us a lot, coming by whenever he could and the boys really enjoyed having him here. He’s always welcomed here. He’s still so young, so why not at least try? We’re behind him, and they’ll always be a spot for him here with us.”

Cederlind’s efforts to get back to the professional ranks was also praised later that month by fellow Turlocker and current Colorado Rockies rookie phenom Cole Carrigg.

“It’s pretty cool to see,” Carrigg told the Journal. “I think it’s about time because of how hard he can throw and how good he can be on the mound and how much work he’s been putting in. It’s great to see him get another opportunity, and hopefully he makes the best of it. If anybody can pull it off, it’s Blake.”

Cederlind knows that lots of work is still required for him to return to the majors for the first time in six years. Nevertheless, he is relishing the experience.

“I’m just taking it a day at a time and enjoying being back,” he said. “I’m grateful to be able to play baseball for a living again. Sometimes you take it for granted when you're younger. Now I get to soak it all in.”