Trey Yesavage's Historic Rise from Class-A to the Postseason

After beginning his first professional season in 2025 with the Class-A Dunedin Blue Jays, right-hander Trey Yesavage has made a meteoric climb through the organization, earning a spot in Toronto’s big league rotation as a key piece of an October-bound club.

Last year’s first-round pick by Toronto, selected 20th overall out of East Carolina University, the 22-year-old Yesavage did not pitch in 2024 and was assigned to Dunedin to open his pro career despite industry belief that he was ready for a more advanced assignment.

“The first steps in pro ball and getting to your first full season is building good routines, understanding what works for you, learning the nuances of the game,” said Dunedin Pitching Coach Cory Riordan. “There’s no guarantee that because you’re a really good pitcher in college you come here and start getting the job done … (Trey) took the transition seamlessly and asked the right questions along the way.”

Yesavage dominated in seven starts for Dunedin, going 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 33.1 innings while the Jays went undefeated on “Trey Day”. He fanned double-digit batters three times, including 12 against Bradenton in his final Class-A start on May 13, the most by a Blue Jay since 2019. He also earned Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honors after out-dueling Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter on May 1, when the Jays top prospect fired six shutout frames with eight strikeouts and earned his first professional win.

Blue Jays No. 2 prospect Trey Yesavage is on another level📈

6️⃣ IP | 4️⃣ H | 0️⃣ R | 0️⃣ BB | 8️⃣ K pic.twitter.com/Pxgep8K7M9

— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) May 2, 2025

“The stuff is impressive—the command, the action and life on his pitches, the elite fastball,” said Dunedin Manager Gil Kim. “The more impressive thing about Trey is the person. There’s a presence and a confidence when he’s on the mound, a level of confidence that tells you he’s about business, beating you, (and) winning.”

Promotions came quickly. Yesavage jumped to High-A Vancouver on May 20, made only four starts before heading to Double-A New Hampshire in June, then represented the organization in the All-Star Futures Game in July. Eight appearances later, he was off to Triple-A Buffalo in mid-August.

“We expected him to be good,” said Blue Jays Pitching Coordinator Ricky Meinhold. “But I’d be lying to you if I told you we expected what he’s done.”

From Buffalo, Yesavage’s rise to Toronto felt inevitable. He debuted on September 15 against Tampa Bay and struck out nine across five innings of one-run ball, a franchise record for a Blue Jays debut.

Trey Yesavage sets a record for most strikeouts by a @BlueJays pitcher in his MLB debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/LNkwKWLjby

— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2025

“With his stuff and how consistently he’s delivered, there really haven’t been any major obstacles in his development,” said Justin Lehr, Toronto’s Director of Pitching. “It’s been relatively straightforward.”

“The trajectory has without a doubt been unique,” Kim added. “It’s different from most development paths, but he’s a little different from a lot of prospects because of how hard he works, how committed he is, and how much natural talent he has.”

Yesavage became the first player in Dunedin’s Class-A era to reach the majors in the same season and just the 10th player across baseball since 2005 to pass through all four full-season levels before debuting. He was also the first Blue Jay from the 2024 draft class to reach the majors.

“Trey has earned every bit of it in terms of how he’s conducted himself,” said Blue Jays Farm Director Joe Sclafani. “The performance speaks for itself, but he’s answered every challenge we’ve put forth … Hopefully he’s a staple in our rotation for a long time… He deserves every bit of it.”