The Blue Jays promoted right-hander Trey Yesavage from Double-A to Triple-A, reports Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, furthering the chances that last year’s first-rounder could impact the major league club before season’s end. As Matheson outlines, the club has been particular in managing the East Carolina product’s workload and even had him come out of the bullpen in his last outing — though he still wound up working five innings of long relief.
Both manager John Schneider and GM Ross Atkins have previously suggested that Yesavage could be considered for a late promotion to the majors this season. Though he’s just in his first full professional season, Yesavage will have pitched across four minor league levels once he makes his first appearance with Triple-A Buffalo. He’s pitched 80 2/3 innings and logged a terrific 3.01 earned run average while setting down a whopping 42.3% of his opponents on strikes. His 9.5% walk rate is higher than average but not to the extent that it’s alarming.
Toronto beefed up its bullpen with deadline trades for veteran Seranthony Dominguez and controllable Louis Varland, adding a pair of impact arms to a group that had lacked some stability. Bringing Yesavage into the mix would plug in another power arm — potentially one who could pitch in high-leverage settings.
Yesavage, of course, could have been used in an entirely different manner — as a trade chip to bring in further talent at the deadline. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reports that the Jays were at least willing to discuss Yesavage and fellow top prospects Arjun Nimmala and Johnny King but ultimately held onto that trio. Both Yesavage and Nimmala, in particular, are consensus top-75 prospects in the sport. Yesavage ranks 26th on MLB.com’s updated list and 57th at Baseball America. Nimmala is 44th at BA and 51st at MLB.com.
Keeping Yesavage has obvious potential benefits not just in 2025 but for the 2026 rotation. He may be viewed as a bullpen option for the current campaign, but Yesavage’s long-term home will be in the rotation. With the Jays set to see Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Chris Bassitt all reach free agency at season’s end, Yesavage could be a prominent factor in the starting staff as soon as Opening Day 2026.
In that sense, getting a look at him versus big league opponents in 2025 takes on all the more importance. That’s especially true when considering that the Jays traded away pitching prospects Khal Stephen (Bieber), Kendry Rojas (Varland) and Juaron Watts-Brown (Dominguez) — all of whom could reach the majors in 2026. That sequence of trades noticeably bolstered the current roster but also further thinned a pitching pipeline that will be critical in the short-term. Beyond the looming departures of Bassitt, Scherzer and Bieber, the Jays will see Kevin Gausman and Eric Lauer become free agents post-2026. Jose Berrios has an opt-out opportunity following the 2026 season as well.
While that pitching situation will be a primary focus of the upcoming offseason, adding some offense to the lineup was viewed as a pivotal aspect of the 2024-25 winter. The Jays were tied to several marquee free agents and wound up landing Anthony Santander on a five-year contract that hasn’t panned out thus far, as the former Orioles slugger has been beset by shoulder troubles all season.
One alternative that the Jays pursued was a reunion with Teoscar Hernandez. A return to Toronto was very much in play — according to the outfielder himself.
“We actually came really close to a reunion so I can come back to Toronto,” Hernandez tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “They were trying to do a couple of things, I’m not going to say what, but they were trying to do a couple things first.”
Though Hernandez understandably didn’t go into specifics, it seems fair to presume that one major item on the list was the eventual extension with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year deal in spring training. The Jays also wound up adding Santander on a heavily deferred five-year deal, signing Jeff Hoffman for three years, re-signing Yimi Garcia for two years and bringing Scherzer in on a one-year pact. Several of those moves have delivered less-than-ideal results, though it also bears highlighting that Lauer was a minor league signee who’s stepped in as a godsend for the pitching staff.
Hernandez, of course, ultimately re-upped with the Dodgers on a three-year, $66MM contract that — like the Santander deal — contains some deferred money. His return campaign in Los Angeles hasn’t been nearly as strong as his 2024 season. In 389 plate appearances, Hernandez is slashing .254/.289/.464 with 18 home runs.
