The Blue Jays could have Trey Yesavage back in the bullpen before the weekend is out, a timely possibility with Toronto and Texas packed into the American League Wild Card chase at Globe Life Field.
Yesavage worked through a side session of roughly 30 pitches Friday, and manager John Schneider liked what he saw from the right-hander. The club is weighing Sunday’s series finale against the Rangers or a Monday return in Baltimore, where Toronto opens a set against the Orioles.
Quick facts
- Yesavage threw about 30 pitches in a Friday side session at Globe Life Field.
- Toronto is considering Sunday or Monday for his activation, likely in a multi-inning assignment.
- He has been sidelined since Aug. 5 and underwent left knee meniscus surgery on Aug. 11.
- Shane Bieber is due to throw from a mound Saturday but is not expected back during the regular season.
A Sunday appearance would make Yesavage available in the final game of the three-game Rangers series. If the Blue Jays wait one more day, his first outing back would likely come against Baltimore.
Schneider indicated that Monday may be the more likely landing spot, with Yesavage initially being used for more than one inning. “That kind of hopefully lines him up for Sunday or Monday,” Schneider said before Friday’s game. “Definitely based on how the weekend goes … likely Monday in a multi-inning role.”
Yesavage went on the injured list with inflammation in his left knee on Aug. 5, then had surgery six days later to repair the meniscus. His first rehabilitation outing came Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo, where he threw 34 pitches and allowed two runs, one earned, without getting through the opening inning.
The line from that Buffalo appearance was not the main concern. Toronto was watching how the knee held up, and Yesavage’s fastball averaged 93.3 mph, about one mph below his usual Major League mark.
Before the injury interruption, Yesavage had supplied steady innings for Toronto. He is 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 91 strikeouts across 93 2/3 innings, and his return would give the club another arm capable of covering a longer relief shift in the season’s final push.
Bieber remains on a different timetable. The right-hander is scheduled for mound work Saturday in Texas as he recovers from inflammation in the right teres major muscle.
A regular-season return appears unlikely with the calendar running down, but Bieber will continue to stretch out in case Toronto earns a postseason berth. Schneider said the club wants him to stay on his normal recovery path despite the shrinking window.
“With the calendar where it is, it’s going to be tough,” Schneider said. “Hopefully we can win some games and get to the point where he can be an option for us. He is going to keep plugging along as if this were the middle part of the season.”
