The Toronto Blue Jays will have Trey Yesavage make a second rehab start on Thursday, April 9, as he works his way back from a shoulder impingement. The electric young righty tossed 44 pitches in his first appearance, setting him up to only need one or two more rehab outings, notes Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
Yesavage was delayed in Spring Training due to the shoulder issue. The Blue Jays were initially going to have him work in 3-4 inning stints to begin the 2026 regular season. Instead, the club opted to place him on the injured list to open the campaign. Yesavage joined Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and Bowden Francis in a growing group of injured Toronto pitchers.
The Dunedin Blue Jays opened the season on Friday, April 3, against the Bradenton Marauders. Toronto’s Single-A squad had the luxury of sending a pitcher with World Series experience to the mound. Yesavage allowed a run over 2.2 innings with three strikeouts in the Opening Day outing.
Toronto Blue Jays Could Get Trey Yesavage Back Soon
Yesavage will get the ball again on Thursday against the St. Lucie Mets. A typical Spring Training buildup would see the righty increase his workload by 10-15 pitches in the outing. If he gets a third rehab appearance, Yesavage could basically reach a typical starting pitcher output.
The Blue Jays could desperately use an influx of healthy arms in the rotation. The club just lost right-hander Cody Ponce to an ACL injury. Ponce has not been sent for surgery, but he was moved to the 60-day IL. The veteran is unlikely to return for several months. Francis is done for the year due to Tommy John surgery. Berrios and Bieber are both behind Yesavage in their respective rehab journeys.
Who Will Start for the Blue Jays Before Yesavage’s Return?
Max Scherzer left last night’s appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a forearm injury. The 41-year-old doesn’t believe the issue is serious, but anything forearm-related is cause for alarm. “I don’t think it’s a major issue, just something that needs to be addressed,” Scherzer told reporters, including the Associated Press. “My mind is I’m going to be making my next start.”
It’s another blow to a Toronto rotation with dwindling available bodies. Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease headline the group. Eric Lauer was pressed into service when Yesavage went down. He was solid in his season debut, striking out nine Athletics en route to a 5-2 victory. Lauer was hit with an illness over the weekend and had his second start pushed from Saturday to Sunday. He was ineffective in the outing, lasting just two innings in a loss to the Chicago White Sox.
The Blue Jays recalled Josh Fleming to cover bulk innings out of the bullpen. He was needed immediately, with Scherzer leaving after just a couple of frames. Fleming was knocked around for four earned runs over three innings of work. Toronto was pounded 14-2 in the World Series rematch against the Dodgers. Fleming threw 77 pitches on Monday and could be bumped off the roster for a fresh arm.
Blue Jays Get Return Timeline For Injured Trey Yesavage