The Toronto Blue Jays have reached the final stretch of the regular season with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, making the return of Trey Yesavage (5-5, 3.65 ERA) especially important. Toronto entered Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers at 75-77 and two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot.
Yesavage has been away from the Blue Jays since Aug. 4, when he left his start against the Houston Astros after two innings because of a left knee issue. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and has now missed 39 games while working his way back.
The 23-year-old took another step Tuesday with a Triple-A rehab outing for Buffalo, but he recorded only two outs while throwing 34 pitches. The results did not appear to change Toronto’s plans, with manager John Schneider previously emphasizing that the priority was making sure Yesavage felt physically sound.
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Now, Yesavage has another bullpen session lined up. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported Wednesday that Yesavage will throw another bullpen when the Blue Jays face the Texas Rangers and remains on track to rejoin the major league club as soon as Sunday.
Keegan Matheson of MLB.com added that Toronto plans to activate Yesavage when he is ready to pitch next, with the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles also another possibility.
Yesavage’s return would give the Blue Jays a very reliable option for a pitching staff that has relied heavily on bullpen games during the playoff push.
The Blue Jays continue their series against Detroit on Wednesday before traveling to Texas for a three-game series with the Rangers beginning Friday.
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