Trey Yesavage appears ready to take the next step towards a return this season.
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday that Yesavage has been throwing on flat ground and will throw his first bullpen on Friday.
Friday will mark nearly three weeks since Yesavage had surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee.
At the time of the surgery, the Blue Jays were optimistic that Yesavage would be able to return this season.
And according to Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker, that optimism remains.
“I don’t want to say he’s ahead of schedule, but he’s doing really well,” Walker said of Yesavage on Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Blair & Barker Tuesday. “I still feel confident that he has the ability, and with this injury and the recovery, that there is a really good chance he could be helping us out.”
The 23-year-old Yesavage left Toronto’s 7-2 road loss to the Houston Astros on Aug. 4 after throwing 16 strikes over two innings. His left knee appeared to buckle as he warmed up for the third inning, and he was checked by a trainer before exiting the game.
Yesavage (5-5) has a 3.65 earned-run average over 18 starts this season with 91 strikeouts over 93.2 innings pitched.
A September call-up last year, Yesavage was a sensation throughout Toronto’s run to the World Series. He had a 3-1 record in the 2025 post-season with a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, striking out 39 in six games, five of them starts.