Toronto Blue Jays News: Trey Yesavage to Begin 2026 Season on IL

The Toronto Blue Jays have a lot of expectations after winning the American League pennant last year. They made Game 7 of the World Series, but ultimately fell short. Toronto made some improvements to the roster this offseason via free agency, but it looks like they will be one pitcher short to begin the regular season next week. Let’s take a deeper dive into what we know and what it means for their starting pitching to open the year.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage is heading to the Injured List

The Toronto Blue Jays are going to be one starting pitcher short to begin the 2026 season. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet is reporting that young pitcher Trey Yesavage is dealing with a right shoulder impingement that will sideline him to begin the season.

Yesavage was one of the most surprising pitchers last season, emerging seemingly out of nowhere. He would only make three regular season starts, but became a star during the postseason. He made six appearances (five starts) in the playoffs and went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.048 WHIP in 27.2 innings. His tall stature and high release point is so unique that opposing teams have trouble getting to his pitches.

This is not the only pitcher dealing with injury concerns for the Blue Jays, as Jose Berrios is dealing with a stress fracture in his elbow. They are also without Bowden Francis and Shane Bieber, making the pitching staff a lot thinner than anticipated. Below is the projected Starting rotation for the Blue Jays entering the 2026 season:

• Kevin Gausman
• Dylan Cease
• Cody Ponce
• Max Scherzer
• Eric Lauer

Toronto has been snakebitten with injuries heading into the 2026 season, but this could also be a way to protect the young pitcher. Even though the injury is obviously enough to cause some concern, Yesavage pitched the most innings of his professional career, throwing 125.2 innings between the regular seasons and playoffs. It will be intriguing to see how Yesavage is able to recover and how long it takes for him to get back on the mound.