Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage struggles with command in penultimate outing with Bisons

Trey Yesavage pitched for the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t go great.

For the second consecutive game, the Toronto Blue Jays’ top prospect appeared out of the bullpen as Easton Lucas pitched three innings. The first batter Yesavage faced was José Azocar, who walked after a seven-pitch battle. He didn’t throw a strike against his second batter as Kevin Parada drew a walk on four pitches.

The only out Yesavage got was from Hayden Senger, as the Syracuse Mets’ catcher lined out. Yesavage also induced a swing and miss in this at-bat, one of just two whiffs he got in the game. Former Blue Jay Luis De Los Santos was the last batter Yesavage faced, and although he generated a groundout, an error was committed, and all three runners were safe.

After Yesavage was pulled, Hayden Jueneger replaced him and allowed a two-run double on the third pitch he threw. Only one earned run counted, and the third runner was thrown out trying to score.

Of the 18 pitches the top Blue Jays prospect threw, only eight of them were for strikes. Yesavage generated two whiffs on six total swings, with both whiffs coming on four total swings of the splitter. He threw seven fastballs, with the heater averaging 94.2 mph and touching 95.4 mph.

In his Triple-A career, Yesavage has a 4.40 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched, with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks. This is the second time he’s appeared out of the bullpen with the Bisons and the third time in his minor league career. It’s believed that he could be an option for the Blue Jays’ bullpen down the stretch.

That said, this outing may have halted those plans, at least for now. Since his tenure in Single-A, Yesavage has struggled with command, posting a 15.9 BB% in High-A, a 9.1 BB% in Double-A, and now a 17.5 BB% in Triple-A.

If everything stays the same, Yesavage’s last appearance will be with the Bisons next Saturday.