Blue Jays Star Trey Yesavage One Step Closer to Regular-Season Debut
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In preperation for defending their American League pennant, the Toronto Blue Jays went out and improved what was considered the weak spot of the roster in their rotation. Sure, they had their ace in Kevin Gausman, who did a lot of the heavy lifting after last year, but it wasn't enough.
Toronto brought in Dylan Cease on a long term deal to be the No. 2 behind Gausman. So far, the pitcher known for good stuff but inconsistent statistics has been a win for the Blue Jays. They also brought back Shane Bieber, but knew he would begin the season on the injured list.
Cody Ponce, the right-handed pitcher coming from the KBO, was another big addition, but he tore his ACL in March and had surgery on Friday. Outside of Max Scherzer, the Blue Jays didn't have any readily available backup options with José Berríos and rookie sensation and postseason hero Trey Yesavage on the IL.
However, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the former first round pick is one step closer to returning to Toronto and will make another rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo.
Yesavage Would Boost Already Strong Top of the Rotation
The 22-year-old right-hander was one of the best stories in a loaded 2025 season for the Jays. Drafted in the first round of 2024, Yesavage didn't make his debut in pro ball until last year. In just his first year in pro ball, Yesavage played at every level of the minors and made his major league debut.
Yesavage was dominant in his 25 minor league appearances, striking out 160 batters in 98 innings with a 3.12 ERA. When the Blue Jays called him up in mid-September, he had three starts, striking out nine in his debut before giving up four runs in four innings in his second outing.
The right-hander didn't make his star turn until the postseason. In Game 2 of the ALDS, Yesavage shut down the juggernaut New York Yankees lineup to the tune of just one base runner while striking out 11. He was arguably even better on the biggest stage, striking out 12 in Game 5 of the World Series.
Toronto was looking forward to Yesavage picking up where he left off and hopefully running away with an AL Rookie of the Year title, but that came to a halt when he went on the IL before the season with a shoulder injury.
In three rehab outings, he's allowed eight runs in 9.2 innings with 14 strikeouts. The stuff is working early, but the runs shouldn't be of too much concern as teams just want their pitchers ramping up on rehab assignments.
The Blue Jays could really use Yesavage. As good as Gausman and Cease are at the top of the rotation, Toronto wasn't exactly anticipating having a veteran like Patrick Corbin in the rotation.
Yesavage will throw 75+ pitches in his next outing, per Bannon, and will hopefully be able to join the rotation soon and resume his breakout campaign.
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