Blue Jays taking a cautious approach to Trey Yesavage's spring workload

The Toronto Blue Jays have already been dealt a handful of injuries in the early going of their 2026 campaign. Just as Spring Training opened, the Blue Jays announced that starting pitchers Shane Bieber and Bowden Francis wouldn't make the Opening Day roster. Francis was shut down for the entire season, while Bieber is working his way to ramping things up by the time the season begins.

The bullpen hasn't been immune either, with Yimi Garcia saying he will not be ready by Opening Day as he continues to recover from his elbow issues that shut him down in September. So with all of that weighing on the minds of the Blue Jays staff, it doesn't come as a complete surprise that they are taking a cautious approach with their rising star rookie hurler in Trey Yesavage.

Blue Jays taking a cautious approach to Trey Yesavage's spring workload

Blue Jays reporter Shi Davidi tweeted on Tuesday (Feb. 24) that Yesavage wouldn't pitch in a spring game until next week. He spoke to manager John Schneider who said they want to manage his buildup as they consider his workload over the last two years. Yesavage pitched a combined 139.2 innings last year through the minors and into the MLB postseason - with a lot of those innings being high leverage, high pressure situations once he got to the big leagues.

Schneider said, "Looking at the broad picture, I think it would be unrealistic to say, all right, 'Trey, first year in the big leagues, here's your 32 starts and your 200 innings.' We're trying to stay aware of that. And there are probably going to be some times where you have to hone him in a little bit and if you can manoeuvre the rotation a little bit, year. Be he's on a little bit of a different ramp up."

Schneider added that Yesavage is still throwing side sessions and live batting practice, but they are being very mindful of how they get him ready for the season. This isn't a new strategy for the Blue Jays who have always tried to be cautious with their younger starters. They even had a system where they would have their prospects pitching in "piggy back" situations in the minors where one guy would "open" the game going 3-4 innings, followed by another starter taking over for the next 2-3.

And with the spate of injuries this team has endured among it's pitching staff over the last few years, you can't fault them for taking this approach. After all, it was highly unorthodox for them to even call up Yesavage in the first place as a September call up in 2025. Many fans will remember how general manager Ross Atkins and the front office spent a few years trying to manipulate the service time of players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. But that thinking went out the window when they realized that Yesavage could potentially help them win a division title and more, despite being drafted just over a year prior to his debut.

It's a long season and the Blue Jays have done a good job this offseason building up their pitching depth, so that if Yesavage has to take a breather here or there, there are other names that should be able to step in and handle a couple of starts over the course of the 2026 season. For what it's worth though, Yesavage is already been labelled as a contender for the American League's Rookie of the Year award, and many expect him to have a very productive first full season in the big leagues.