Trey Yesavage will throw a bullpen session in Dunedin, Fla., on Friday, his first in three weeks since undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus.

The 23-year-old righty has spent the last few weeks recovering at the Toronto Blue Jays’ player development complex and resumed building up after being sidelined since his last start on Aug. 4. If all goes well, he’ll throw another bullpen session early next week and could then face live hitters before pitching in a simulated or rehab game.

In a perfect scenario, Yesavage will make at least one rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo ahead of their season finale on Sep. 20. But he likely won’t have enough time to get fully stretched out again, meaning his best shot of rejoining the Blue Jays’ staff will be as a 3-4 inning bulk pitcher.

That’d still be a meaningful late-season addition, though, considering the club’s rotation currently includes three traditional starters (Dylan Cease, José Soriano, Max Scherzer) and two sort-of-built-up starters (Spencer Arrighetti, Jameson Taillon). Whether it’d involve pitching behind an opener or providing length out of the bullpen, there are multiple avenues Yesavage can offer upside down the stretch.

So we’ll see where he’s at progress-wise in a week or so. All things considered, this is very encouraging news on the injury front for the rookie hurler, who’s recovered much quicker than most anticipated at the time of his procedure.

Sticking on the pitching side, manager John Schneider told reporters in Cleveland on Thursday that Shane Bieber (right shoulder inflammation) was scheduled to play catch as he remains in the early stages of his throwing progression. There’s still hope he can also return before the regular season concludes, but he’s running up against the clock with only two weeks remaining in the Triple-A schedule.

At this point, the likelier scenario may involve returning in the post-season — in the event Toronto secures the final AL wild-card seed — for the pending free agent.

Schneider also provided an update on Anthony Santander (shoulder surgery), stating he’s “optimistic” the recovering switch-hitter could begin a Triple-A rehab assignment as early as next week. He faced live pitching at the PDC on Thursday and will continue those steps this weekend.

Charting a pathway back to the majors appears difficult, especially since Santander has been away from the team since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum back in February. The 31-year-old may need to earn his roster spot while rehabbing with Buffalo. But if he can avoid one of his notorious slow starts, perhaps there’s a scenario where he makes his 2026 season debut towards the end of this month.

If that comes to fruition, the organization would need to create space on its 28- and 40-man rosters, as Santander currently resides on the 60-day IL. For those wondering, he is eligible to play in the post-season despite having missed every game thus far.

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