How Toronto Blue Jays Could Use Trey Yesavage Once He Joins Majors
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The rise of Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Trey Yesavage appears complete. Now, the question is how he helps the franchise down the stretch of a heated playoff race?
Per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Blue Jays are expected to select Yesavage’s contract so he can make his Major League debut. Per Davidi, Yesavage was going to pitch on Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo. He will now be redirected to Toronto to join the Blue Jays, but it's possible he won't be on the active roster until Monday.
Toronto made no formal announcement of the decision. But when selected, Yesavage will have risen from Class-A Dunedin to the Majors in one season. His selection will require Toronto to make a 40-man roster move.
How Trey Yesavage Fits with Blue Jays
Yesavage, 22, is the franchise’s No. 2 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline. He’s put together an impressive season in the minor leagues, with a 5-1 record and a 3.12 ERA. He’s been one of the top strikeout pitchers in the minor leagues, with 160 punchouts in just 98 innings. He’s walked only 41. Batters are hitting an incredible .158 against him.
The right-hander has always been seen as a starter by the organization and that is his fit long-term. But, before he was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo in mid-August, the franchise directed the coaching staff to begin working him as a reliever, perhaps as a bulk innings option in the Majors.
He made that first relief appearance with Double-A New Hampshire on Aug. 8, pitching five innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs. He struck out nine.
Toronto has tested him as a reliever two other times in September with Buffalo. On Sept. 2, he pitched three innings of two-hit relief, giving up one walk and striking out six. He followed that with another relief appearance on Sept. 7, during which he recorded just one out. He walked two and allowed two runs, but only one was earned.
He started with Buffalo on Wednesday, pitching three perfect innings with four strikeouts.
The Blue Jays have tested Yesavage as a reliever in three different instances and the results have been mixed. What he does have is a lethal arsenal that can strike out hitters at a high rate. That’s something the Blue Jays bullpen needs. And, with a set starting rotation, there is no room to fit the prospect in for a postseason run. Expect Toronto to use him in bulk relief situations against the bottom of the order, if possible, to ease him into a role.
Before Toronto selected him in the first round of the MLB draft last year, he was one of college baseball’s most accomplished pitchers. At East Carolina he went 11-1 in 15 starts with a 2.02 ERA. He also struck out 145 and walked 32 in 93.1 innings. He won the American Conference’s pitching triple crown.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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