At the spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., Trey Yesavage has not faced live batters this spring and will begin the season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. The news that yesavage blue jays will open on the IL lands amid a broader pitching shortage that forces the club to reconfigure its rotation before opening day.
Yesavage Blue Jays: Why is Trey Yesavage starting the season on the injured list?
The Blue Jays placed the 22-year-old right-hander on the injured list because of a right shoulder impingement. Manager John Schneider said the issue was present when Yesavage arrived at camp and contributed to a deliberately slow buildup. “It’s something that he reported to camp with and obviously led to his slow buildup as well, ” Schneider said. “Right now [he’s] feeling good. He’s in a better place now to continue to ramp up. So he’s going to continue on the program he’s been on, but will open the season on the IL. “
How did yesavage blue jays rise so quickly, and what did he do in the big leagues?
Yesavage rocketed through five minor-league levels in 2025 and reached the majors late that year. In limited regular-season action he made three appearances, posting a 1-0 record with a 3. 21 earned run average and a 1. 429 WHIP across 14. 0 innings, striking out 16 and walking seven. He became a key component in the club’s postseason run, starting six playoff games—including two in the World Series—and finishing the playoffs 3-1 with a 3. 58 ERA and a 1. 048 WHIP over 27. 2 innings. He struck out 39 batters in the postseason, including 11 in an American League Division Series game, and walked 11.
Who will fill the rotation and how will the club manage the injury crisis?
The club faces multiple absences. José Berríos will also start the season on the injured list with a stress fracture in his pitching elbow, Shane Bieber is unavailable with forearm soreness, and Bowden Francis is out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. With those players sidelined, Kevin Gausman has been tabbed for the opening-day start, and names expected to be part of the rotation include Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer. The injuries increase the likelihood that left-hander Eric Lauer will be in the starting rotation to begin the season.
Schneider framed the approach to Yesavage as cautious. “We had a plan in place to slow-play it anyway after last year, ” he said. “We wanted to get over that hump initially, and did, but in terms of a timeline, [there’s] nothing definitive. But he is feeling really good right now, and I think he is in a good place to build up. So we’ll just see where that goes. ” The team has continued Yesavage’s throwing program; he had been scheduled to pitch off a mound as part of his buildup.
The Blue Jays open the season at Rogers Centre and will begin play without Yesavage on the active roster. The decision to start him on the IL reflects both the specific shoulder impingement and a broader desire to manage workload after his rapid ascent last year. As the rotation is adjusted, the club is balancing immediate needs with the longer-term health of young pitchers.
Back in Dunedin, the same spring complex where Yesavage’s buildup was measured now holds a quieter significance: a reminder that rapid advancement on the mound requires careful pacing. The injured-list designation closes one chapter of his debut season but leaves a clear pathway for the club to protect a young arm while reshaping its rotation for opening day and beyond.
