As the Toronto Blue Jays signed back Max Scherzer, the pitching rotation is taking shape with the team in the midst of spring training, though one player is being treated differently from the rest. While the Blue Jays are looking to make another World Series run, the one pitcher whose situation will be closely monitored in 2026 is Trey Yesavage, as manager John Schneider gave insight into the plan with him.
The 22-year-old made a name for himself, throwing a 12-strikeout game in Game 5's 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll be highly anticipated in 2026, though he has yet to throw a pitch in spring training.
After being drafted by Toronto in July of 2024, he was shut down for the rest of the season, with him having a long break before making his pro debut in September of last year. Due to that, this is all part of the team's “strategic” plan with Yesavage, per Schneider.
“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,” Schneider said, according to MLB.com.
John Schneider on the Blue Jays handling Trey Yesavage
As Yesavage looks to impress again with the Blue Jays after the World Series loss, there's no denying his workload will be crucial for the team, though Schneider doesn't “want to pigeonhole it.”
“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.”
It remains to be seen when Yesavage makes his 2026 spring training debut and what his usage will be like.
