What Spring Reps Reveal About Blue Jays Trust Level in Top Prospects

In this story:
The 2026 Opening Day for Major League Baseball is merely weeks away, meaning spring training is inching closer to completion. Spring training is a tool used in many different ways as veterans try to hold onto a roster spot, while young guns look for promotions through the minor league ranks, or their debut.
It is hard to fathom that the Toronto Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage is still considered a prospect after the postseason he just had. But technically, he is, and he is now embarking on the start of his rookie season as the Jays fight their way back to the Fall Classic.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Yesavage hasn't done much besides live batting practice, but that isn't necessarily surprising. He isn't a player that the organization is worried about getting reps for, but there are prospects who are stepping onto the field quite a few times in the last few weeks.
Infielder Josh Kasevich

The Jays' infield is easily the biggest gap in their roster for 2026, as the depth is simply nonexistent, which means this is the time for Kasevich to earn his debut. The 25-year-old has the best chance amongst any of the prospects to fight his way to the field, and the reps that he is taking right now prove that management thinks so as well.
Since the start of training, Kasevich has played in eight games with 15 at-bats. In that time, he is batting .467 while slugging .667 as he has picked up a hit nearly every other trip to the plate. The time is now for Kasevich.
Infielder Arjun Nimmala
Nimmala is barely 20 years old at this point, but he was brought to spring training nonetheless. Now, it hasn't gone like he would have hoped (batting .154 in seven games), but the organization stands behind him as he works his way up through the minors.
2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala caps a four-run first inning for the Jays 💪 pic.twitter.com/2CafEAK4Kx
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 22, 2026
It seems likely he will start 2026 in Single-A+, or even Double-A, but his debut could be another year off as there is still a lot of work to do for Nimmala, and considering his age, that is perfectly fine.
Pitcher Gage Stanifer
If Stanifer is able to step into Triple-A this year and ssucceed then he could ultimately get the nod for his first major league start. Right now, he is on track for a 2027 debut, but his utilization in a pair of games during training hints that the organization is proudly watching him climb the minor league ranks.
There is a lot going on right now, and most of the time it is hard to keep track of it all. The Blue Jays have been able to draft, and grow players, (Yesavage, Alejandro Kirk, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., etc.). Even if some of these faces aren't ready to excel in 2026, their time is coming.

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.