TORONTO — Even with the Toronto Blue Jays out of Major League Baseball’s playoff picture, Trey Yesavage was determined to make one last start. Yesavage missed 47 days through August and September after surgery Aug. 11 to repair the meniscus in his left knee. Instead of taking the rest of his rookie season off, the 23-year-old told anyone he could that he wanted to make as many starts as possible before the season’s end. “It was a big push for me,” said Yesavage on Saturday after he allowed a run on two hits and a walk, and struck out three over two innings in a 5-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. “I let everybody that made the decisions on that know that I wanted to be back out there and wanted to play with these guys. “I’m just glad they respected me and allowed me to have that opportunity.” Yesavage made his return Sept. 21 in a 4-3 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore where he also pitched two innings and gave up a run. He finished his first full MLB season with a 5-6 record, 3.69 earned-run average and 97 strikeouts over 97 2/3 innings pitched with a 1.14 walks/hits per inning pitched. It was a relatively disappointing season after he rocketed through all five levels of the Blue Jays organization last year. He made a splash as a September callup in a critical role in Toronto’s run to the World Series. “There were some bright spots and some spots that I wish would have been different,” said Yesavage. “Ultimately, I’m glad just the arm stayed healthy for the year and I’ll stick with it into the off-season.” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that he thinks Yesavage got enough innings in 2026 to set him up will for next year. “Watching him today, you get frustrated that he missed the time he did down the stretch,” said Schneider. “But I think the things that he learned when he was healthy and pitching every time through, will be really important for him next year and going into the off-season.” Yesavage wants to add to his pitching repetorie in the off-season. He intends to experiment with a curveball or a two-seam fastball over the winter. “We’ll see what works the best,” Yesavage said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
