Trey Yesavage ready for his first game of 2026, as the right-hander will be activated on the 15-day injured list before Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com) that Dylan CeaseOf Savage, once Max Scherzer will begin during the three-game series against Boston. Remove again Patrick Corbin will swap spots so Corbin will now face The Guardians on Sunday, again Eric Lauer it will be moved from the first role to the long supporting role.
Yesavage had never thrown a professional pitch before 2025, and his quick path from A-ball to the Blue Jays’ World Series rotation was one of the key stories of Toronto’s postseason run. After debuting in September with a 3.21 ERA over his first 14 major league innings, Yesavage then had a 3.58 ERA over six games and 27 2/3 frames in the playoffs, highlighted by a seven-inning, 12-strikeout performance against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series.
Between the minors, the majors, and the postseason, Yesavage threw 139 2/3 innings in 2025 — a significant increase from the 98 innings Yesavage threw at East Carolina University in 2024 before Toronto made him the 20th pick overall in the 2024 draft. As such, there was a sense that the Blue Jays would look to limit Yesavage’s innings in 2026 to prevent the righty from overgrowing, though an immediate setback arose when Yesavage arrived at Spring Training with a sprained shoulder.
The Jays took it easy on Yesavage’s workload in camp, placing him on the 15-day IL to start the season so the right-hander could continue his upward velocity. Yesavage has made four major league starts, and his most recent outing with Triple-A Buffalo on April 21 saw him throw just 64 pitches, a step back from the 71 pitches he threw in his previous start. Yesavage also has a 7.50 ERA and a 12.5% walk rate through his 12 rehab innings, though the results on the field aren’t as important as the feeling and comfort during the rehabilitation process.
As Matheson noted, Yesavage “used to stay pretty much in the 65 to 85 range” at the time of the 2025 release, and the Blue Jays will likely keep him around the same this year. The goal is to keep Yesavage fully past any lingering effects of his shoulder problem, and to keep him fresh for what the Jays hope will be another deep October roster.
For now, though, simply getting back to the .500 mark is the first order of business for the 10-15 Blue Jays. Yesavage is one of seven pitchers and 12 players in total on Toronto’s injured list, as a number of major and minor health issues have caused the Jays to stumble out of the gate this season. In particular, the absence of Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Jose Berriosagain (until a season-ending ACL tear) Cody Ponce left the Jays blowing their noses even though it seemed like a lot of players who started the game in March.
Remove again Kevin Gausman both were excellent, and Patrick Corbin (signed to a one-year, $1MM contract as an answer to all the injuries) managed a respectable 3.86 ERA in three starts and 14 2/3 innings. Scherzer and Lauer were hit hard, which is also part of the reason Lauer returned to relief work.
Lauer has been open about his desire to serve as both a starter and not work behind the opener when he starts, though his 6.75 ERA over 22 2/3 innings has left the southpaw with little room to transition into a role. Regarding Lauer’s comments, Schneider said “he is yet to bowl us a meaningful innings. Our circulation has been and will probably continue to fluctuate. He was playing catch-up, I guess. After his first outing, his things were down and there were things to deliver. I was just talking to him yesterday, there is still a chance to fix those things.”
Getting Lauer to work more innings out of the bullpen could help him get on track, and should also help ease the pressure on the Blue Jays’ overtaxed relief corps. The 113 1/3 innings pitched by Toronto pitchers is the fifth most of any bullpen in the league, while the 109 1/3 innings pitched is the third fewest in baseball.
