Trey Yesavage will not start any preseason games this week.

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Trey Yesavage will not start any preseason games this week.
Credit: Sportsnet

Expectations are high for Trey Yesavage in 2026. I guess that's what happens when you tear it up in the playoffs, especially against the Dodgers in the middle of the Fall Classic.

But behind this happy-go-lucky guy who took baseball by surprise is a prospect with little experience in the majors. He's a prospect who doesn't know the rigors of a 162-game schedule.

And the Blue Jays are aware of that. They know that in 2024, he pitched only 93.1 innings, and that rose to 139.2 innings in 2025 when you factor in the minors, the Majors, and the playoffs.

Would it be fair to give him 200 regular season innings before the playoffs in 2026? Of course not.

That's why the Blue Jays are trying to cut back on innings during spring training. The club has decided that the young man will take it easy at the start of camp and that he will start later than the other regular starters.

Cody Ponce (tomorrow), Kevin Gausman (Thursday), and Dylan Cease (Saturday) will all make their first starts this week. Eric Lauer (Friday) and Jose Berrios (Saturday) will make their second starts this week. It's a good idea.

I feel that with Shane Bieber not starting the season on time, the door is open for the other five healthy starters to help Yesavage avoid pitching every five days. Let him have longer rest periods. Let some of his outings be shorter.

The goal is that by next October, he'll still have gas in the tank.

Managing his innings paid off in the minors in 2025… and while it won't be as intense in 2026 in the majors, I see management trying to maintain some control by taking advantage of the depth in the club's rotation.

To be continued, then.

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