Blue Jays prospect Trey Yesavage recovers from shaky first inning in double-A debut

Yesavage struggled with his command early, walking each of the first three batters he faced to load the bases in the first inning as he seemingly battled his nerves. But he retired the next three batters that stepped to the plate, escaping that jam without allowing more than a run on a sac-fly.

Despite issuing a leadoff walk in the second, the towering 6-foot-4 righty — who had been struggling to locate his over-the-top fastball — proceeded to retire eight of his final nine batters faced before departing after the fourth inning.

Following his debut outing with the Fisher Cats, Yesavage lowered his ERA to 2.14 on the season across 12 professional starts split between single-A (seven), high-A (four) and now double-A. He has racked up a ridiculous 92 strikeouts over 54.2 total innings, tying Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Patrick Copen for the minor-league lead (any affiliate) in punchouts.

Yesavage leads all qualified minor-league pitchers (min. 50 innings) in strikeout rate with a 43.4-per-cent clip.

The 2024 first-round selection carries a 2.76 FIP and 10.8-per-cent walk rate this season, with opponents hitting just .133 against him. He’s completed at least four innings of work in 11 of his 12 starts, with the lone exception coming in his organizational debut on Apr. 8.

Given how quickly Yesavage has risen through the Blue Jays’ system, there’s a chance — albeit small — that he could make his major league debut before the end of the 2025 season.