The Blue Jays are hoping the next answer to their rotation problem is already close at hand.
Trey Yesavage could be back with Toronto this weekend, and after a rehab outing in Buffalo on Tuesday, the right-hander sounded ready for the jump. SportsNet baseball columnist Shi Davidi relayed the key part of Yesavage’s thinking, and the pitcher didn’t hide where he stands.
"It's up to people who are higher up than me and make decisions," he said. "But I think I'm ready to go and take some stress off the bullpen," said Yesavage.
That bullpen has been carrying far too much already. Toronto’s starting staff has been shredded by injuries, leaving the club piecing together innings however it can.
The Blue Jays are somehow still in the playoff race, but the margin is thin. Without the overworked relief corps, the team would be 10 games back of the final wild-card spot instead of 1.5.
Yesavage’s latest rehab work didn’t last long, as he couldn’t get through the first inning with the Bisons. Even so, that line on the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. A defensive play that should have been made wasn’t, and in a rehab setting, Toronto can lean more heavily on how he feels than on the raw inning total.
He threw 34 pitches in that outing, which points toward something closer to 45-50 next time out. A bullpen session in Texas is next, and the club will sort out what comes after that once it’s done.
The knee that sent him back to the injured list at the beginning of August against the Houston Astros and required surgery now seems to be in good shape. Yesavage said the surgically repaired knee felt "really good" during the rehab outing.
Toronto badly needs a starter who can give even a few steady innings. Dylan Cease has been nails, Jose Soriano arrived at the deadline, and the 42-year-old Max Scherzer is in the mix. Spencer Arrighetti had been viewed as a possible starter, but command has not cooperated.
That leaves the Jays looking for stability wherever they can find it. A bullpen game has become the norm, but it’s not a pace the team can keep living on forever. If Yesavage can provide three or four innings, that would be a welcome break for Pete Walker and John Schneider.
Cease is lined up for the series opener against the Texas Rangers, with Soriano scheduled for Saturday. Sunday remains the big question, and Yesavage may be the one who fills it.
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A closer look suggests the problem is more layered than simple foot speed or range. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has shown some issues charging balls even with good reflexes, Ernie Clement has been vulnerable moving left at second base, Kazuma Okamoto has had trouble going right at third, and Andrs Gimnez has continued to stand out at short despite only average sprint speed. In other words, the Blue Jays infield hit issue seems tied to specific movement patterns and reactions, not one broad defensive flaw. [Read more 🡒]