Trey Yesavage pitching his way into Blue Jays’ 2025 plans: ‘Darn near ready-made’

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Trey Yesavage’s day was almost over. He’d surpassed 100 pitches and his velocity was starting to tick down. There was a question whether he would even start the 2024 NCAA Regional contest against Wake Forest, thanks to a partially punctured lung suffered two weeks earlier. But Yesavage was through seven innings, outdueling future No. 2 pick Chase Burns, and now he was staring at the manager walking toward him.

When East Carolina manager Cliff Godwin began down the dugout to take out his ace, Yesavage waved him off, a blank stare on his face. He wasn’t coming out.

“There’s certain guys and moments when you go, ‘OK man,’” Godwin said. “I’m gonna sit back down.”

It was clear to Godwin that the regional elimination game was a moment to make an exception, that there was no doubt Yesavage was one of those “certain guys.” It’s part of what drew the Toronto Blue Jays to the right-hander with the 20th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. With four plus pitches and a towering release point, Yesavage has become one of the fastest risers in his draft class.

After 11 career minor-league starts, the Blue Jays promoted Yesavage to Double A, and his climb may not end there. Less than a year removed from his draft, Yesavage is on a path to a big-league debut — one that could come as early as this season.

“If he continues to dominate performance-wise, in tandem with consistent routines and progress with his priority goals, then it’s not out of the question,” Blue Jays player development director Joe Sclafani said. “It’s our group’s job to think long term and put him in the best position to succeed, but Trey will ultimately be the driver of those decisions.”

See ya 👋@BlueJays No. 2 prospect (https://t.co/70bASts41o) Trey Yesavage paints the corner for his first K in Double-A!#DestinationCats | #BeyondBaseballNH pic.twitter.com/44OfuQiTHj

— New Hampshire Fisher Cats (@FisherCats) June 12, 2025

Yesavage’s raw stuff was big-league ready the day the Jays drafted him. His fastball and splitter graded out well above average, internally, compared to big-league offerings. The slider was solid and there was hope in the curveball. Sitting in college stadiums, 100 feet behind the plate, area scout Coulson Barbiche couldn’t fathom how batters stood in the box against Yesavage’s tumbling deliveries. Every pitch comes out of the same point, the righty’s arm reaching far above his head for the type of high release batters rarely see.

“There’s always things guys can improve upon,” Barbiche said. “But I think he was darn near ready-made, you know, as a package.”

All four of Yesavage’s pitches have maintained their grades or, in the case of the curveball, significantly improved in early minors action. The offerings confounded college hitters, and minor-league batters haven’t fared much better. Yesavage leads all qualified minor-league pitchers with a 43.4 percent strikeout rate. He hasn’t made a start across three league levels without striking out at least one batter per inning.

Yesavage posted a 2.43 ERA in seven Low-A starts, then a 1.56 mark in four outings for High A once weather stabilized in Vancouver. Meeting promotions with continued brilliance, the Blue Jays turned to more specific challenges for the 21-year-old. Work the curveball in more, a fourth pitch Toronto sees real potential in. Start reading bats and altering pitch sequences to keep batters guessing. Limit the walks, increase efficiency. How deep can you get on just 85 pitches? What about 80?

Every on-field challenge comes alongside off-field expectations. After the Jays selected Yesavage in the first round, the organization told him the draft slot comes with extra attention. Other players look to his pregame routines; his side sessions can set a tone for an entire staff.

The Blue Jays knew when they drafted Yesavage that he was regimented with his work and had the kind of competitive fire to pitch through a punctured lung. But he’s taken both into the pro game, Sclafani said, embracing the expectations of an early pick. He was voted part of Low-A Dunedin’s leadership group before the season started but has made two quick jumps since then. He may keep rising.

“I like the fact that we’re being aggressive with him,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Moving him up. I think he has the stuff to do so.”

Yesavage, who never threw more than 93 1/3 innings in college, has around 55 to 75 frames left before hitting his season workload ceiling. That may mean 10 to 12 more starts in Double A, after his four-inning, one-run debut last Thursday. Or, the outings could come for a Blue Jays’ MLB roster still searching for pitching depth.

“If you threw him in the big leagues right now, he could probably compete,” Sclafani said. “At the very least, he could probably compete.”

Yesavage wouldn’t be the first college pitcher on the fast track to the big leagues. Michael Wacha made his MLB debut 12 months and 106 minor-league innings after the Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft. He went on to make five postseason starts on St. Louis’ path to the 2013 World Series. More recently, the top three college arms taken in the 2023 draft all made MLB debuts with fewer than 30 minor-league starts. Five players from Yesavage’s 2025 first round have already cracked the top level, but no pitcher has done so.

For a Blue Jays team hoping to contend in 2025, a Yesavage debut would take a unique combination of need and progress. Toronto has pitched through an injury to Max Scherzer all season and recent struggles from Bowden Francis. A season-ending injury to Jake Bloss sapped the starting depth further. Yesavage’s multiple plus pitches and unique arm slot could play in either a relief or starting role down the stretch, helping address Toronto’s pitching depth. Deadline trades or a Scherzer return could also patch up the hole, but further injuries could create more gaps.

So far, Yesavage has put himself in a place to potentially fill that future void. But he must continue to do so. Even with a minuscule ERA, the righty has walked 23 batters in 54 2/3 minor-league innings, including four in his Double-A debut. He hasn’t completed more than five innings since May 1, in part due to pitch count and in part due to inefficiency.

Yesavage has ticked many boxes in just 12 minor-league starts. If he can cross off the last few, and the Blue Jays need him, the big leagues will be waiting.

“He’s definitely opened some eyes here, for sure,” Schneider said. “The stuff is real. So we’ll see how it goes at each level.”

(Photo: Mike Janes / Four Seam Images via AP)

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