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EspañolThe Toronto Blue Jays want to be smart with their new up-and-coming star.
Trey Yesavage, who climbed all the way from class-A Dunedin to World Series stardom last season, hasn’t been scheduled for a spring-training start yet in 2026.
It’s unclear when the 22-year-old superstar will make his Grapefruit League debut at this point, and Blue Jays manager John Schneider knows they have to be extra careful with their prized prospect after an unheard-of rise to prominence in 2025.
“We’re just trying to be strategic,” Schneider said earlier this week. “Looking at the broad picture, I think it would be unrealistic to say, ‘All right, Trey, first year in the big leagues, here’s your 32 starts and your 200 innings.’ We’re trying to stay aware of that, and there’s probably going to be some times where you have to hone him in a little bit if you can maneuver the rotation a little bit.”
Yesavage’s trip through each of Toronto’s full-season affiliates on his way to a late-September call-up and eventual playoff stardom has him firmly positioned to be a key contributor to the Blue Jays in 2026. But due to his late recall, Yesavage didn’t log the requisite service time to lose his prospect status and will still qualify as a rookie in 2026.
However, a full MLB season comes with new challenges for a youngster, especially when it comes to the overall workload. Yesavage threw 139 2/3 innings across all levels last season, including 27.2 playoff innings on the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series.
So while the other Blue Jays starters are ramping up as usual this spring, Schneider knows Yesavage is a different case.
“We don’t want to pigeonhole it and say that we’re going to cut five or six starts off his season,” Schneider said. “If there’s a time to adjust, to skip a guy or to push a guy back, yeah. You’ve got to look at the schedule and look at what other people are doing, but I don’t want to say it’s reactionary. If he’s feeling great, then great, but history has shown it’s hard to say, ‘Hey, 22-year-old Trey, here’s 32 Major League starts, go strike out 12 every night.’”
One thing that could help the Blue Jays manage Yesavage’s workload accordingly is their wealth of capable starters already on the roster.
The Blue Jays reunited with Max Scherzer on a one-year deal late on Wednesday night. Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios are expected starters, as are free agent acquisitions Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber figures to factor in despite having his start to the season delayed due to arm fatigue.
Eric Lauer also proved to be a capable starter in 2025 before being moved to a bulk-relief role later in the season.
It’s a good problem to have, and should give the Blue Jays and Schneider plenty of flexibility with how they choose to roll out Yesavage.