Toronto Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage prepares for first full MLB season
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Toronto Blue Jays rookie righty Trey Yesavage's 2025 unfolded at a remarkable pace.
The 22-year-old right-hander rocketed through all five levels of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, capped it with a September call-up, and then played a meaningful role in the club’s march to the World Series.
When it was finally over, he needed time to absorb what had just happened.
"It took a few days to just go through the entire season as a whole and just reflect, just realize how blessed I am," Yesavage said recently at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla. "Just talking with myself, just being in silence and seeing where my brain's at."
Trey Yesavage opened the year with the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays before steadily climbing through every rung of Toronto’s minor-league ladder.
By September, he was in the majors, and he didn’t look out of place.
Across three regular-season starts, he went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA over 14 innings, striking out 16.
He carried that poise into October, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.58 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings spanning the American League Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series.
"I think just handling the moment at every level I went to, not changing myself and just being myself," said Yesavage, who remains eligible for the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2026.
Now ranked as Toronto’s top prospect, Yesavage is expected to open 2026 in the big-league rotation alongside veterans Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce.
"It's funny, this is his first major league camp, he wasn't even here last year," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. "I think for what he did on the biggest stage of the sport, it's really almost unprecedented.
"So we're expecting him to get his bearings a little bit with first major league spring training and going into a major league season."
The next step brings new challenges. Yesavage’s workload was carefully monitored throughout 2025, and the grind of a full major-league season will test him differently.
For Yesavage preparation is key, not trying to do too much
John Schneider’s early message was straightforward.
"Not trying to strike everybody out in spring training, make sure you're ready for a long season," Schneider said. "But innings limit, we don't really have one.
"I think if there's areas during the schedule where you can take care of guys, whether it's him or (Gausman) or (Ponce) or whoever, we'll try to do that."
"I think if there's areas during the schedule where you can take care of guys, whether it's him or (Gausman) or (Ponce) or whoever, we'll try to do that."
Toronto also plans to pair Yesavage with newly signed reliever Tyler Rogers, whose three-year, US$37 million deal was finalized Dec. 15.
The contrast between the two is stark: Yesavage owns the highest release point in baseball, while Rogers — a sidearmer — delivers from one of the lowest.
Even the Trajekt Arc simulator cannot replicate either motion.
"I'm excited to see how the hitters react, because I'm sure they have never experienced anything like that," Yesavage said.
Tyler Rogers downplayed the novelty.
"I really don't think it's much of a thing, no," he said. "I mean, it's the same thing as having a righty you bring in a lefty, just a different look."
Catcher Alejandro Kirk emphasized preparation.
"I've just got to do my homework very well," Kirk said through translator Hector Lebron. "It's rare to see that in the game, two very different angles, but I've just got to be focused on that and do my homework like they do their homework, and we're going to be fine."
Meanwhile, Yesavage is experimenting with adding a curveball to complement his four-seam fastball, slider and splitter.
"It's not where I want it to be, so we'll see about that," he said, acknowledging that his over-the-top delivery makes the pitch difficult to disguise.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 20|133 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage prepares for first full MLB season Do you think the Blue Jays will limit the amount of innings for Trey Yesavage in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 53.4 % |
| No | 39 | 29.3 % |
| Too early to tell | 23 | 17.3 % |
| List of polls | ||