Trey Yesavage Nears Return to Blue Jays After Rehab Assignments

The Toronto Blue Jays are inching closer to welcoming back right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage from the injured list after a successful rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, April 16, 2026.

Yesavage threw 71 pitches, 42 of which were for strikes, over 4 1/3 innings in what could be his final minor-league appearance before a potential return to the major-league rotation. The outing came as he continues to work back from a shoulder impingement that delayed the start of his 2026 season.

According to the Blue Jays organization, the pitch count and inning total were exactly what they were looking for in this rehab start. More importantly, Yesavage sat between 93-95 mph with his fastball and generated swings and misses on all five swings against his splitter, two key indicators the club has been monitoring as part of his recovery process.

The results of the start — including seven hits and two home runs allowed — were deemed secondary by the team, with emphasis placed instead on his velocity, command, and effectiveness of his secondary pitches. Manager John Schneider noted that while the immediate outcome mattered less, the underlying performance metrics aligned with expectations for a pitcher nearing a return to the active roster.

Schneider indicated that the Blue Jays would evaluate Yesavage’s recovery from this outing before making a final decision, with a determination expected by Friday, April 18, 2026. If cleared, Yesavage could rejoin the team during their ongoing road trip and potentially line up to pitch in the upcoming series against the Los Angeles Angels early the following week.

“That’s definitely a possibility,” Schneider said earlier in the week. “Whenever you’re getting close, you don’t want to be too knee-jerky, but he’s champing at the bit and it’s right in line with what we’d thought.”

Yesavage’s return would provide a significant boost to a Blue Jays rotation that has faced considerable adversity early in the 2026 season. The team has already dealt with the early-season losses of José Berríos, Shane Bieber, and Cody Ponce, in addition to Yesavage’s own absence due to shoulder impingement.

Further complications have arisen from a flu bug that affected Eric Lauer’s velocity for a couple of outings and ongoing forearm tendinitis to Max Scherzer, which continues to be closely monitored by the club’s medical and coaching staff.

Initially, spring training appeared to set up a potential logjam of starting pitchers for Toronto. However, just one week into the regular season, injuries and illnesses had thinned the rotation to the point where the Blue Jays were forced to sign veteran Patrick Corbin to a one-year, $1 million deal to provide depth.

As of Wednesday’s rehab start, Yesavage’s progress has been viewed positively by the organization. The combination of appropriate pitch usage, improved fastball velocity, and effective splitter usage has met the benchmarks the Blue Jays established for his return timeline.

No official announcement regarding his activation has been made as of the time of this reporting, but the latest rehab outing represents the clearest sign yet that Yesavage is nearing a return to the Blue Jays’ active roster and rotation.