The Toronto Blue Jays announced yesterday that right-hander Trey Yesavage will get the start today against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yesavage was drafted by the Jays in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft and has bullrushed his way to the big leagues after dominating across four levels this year. It’s a major success story for the Jays’ development system, one that hasn’t seen a top arm come through since Alek Manoah and Nate Pearson were forging their way to the big leagues.

With Yesavage making his big league debut, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and review the last three Jays pitchers who made their debut in the rotation.

*This is for rookie debuts only, so if the player pitched in relief first and then made a start, such as Braydon Fisher and Paxton Schultz this season, they were not included*

After spending two seasons overseas in Japan and sitting out the 2023 calendar year while awaiting an MLB opportunity, right-hander Yariel Rodriguez joined Toronto during the 2023/2024 offseason on a five-year pact worth $32 million.

A back injury delayed his big league debut to April 13th, where he debuted in front of the home crowd of the Rogers Centre against the Colorado Rockies.

Rodriguez would get his first big league strikeout out of the way early, punching out Ezequiel Tovar in the first inning and also getting Ryan McMahon sent down as well. Rodriguez wouldn’t give up a run until the top of the third, when Brenton Doyle launched a moonshot over the left field wall for a solo blast.

The Cuban product would last 3 2/3 innings and 68 pitches in his debut, allowing four hits, two walks, and the lone earned run in his debut while striking out six. He would make 21 starts in the year to the tune of a 4.47 ERA and a 4.34 FIP, and has transitioned to a bullpen role this year.

Similar to Yesvage, right-hander Alek Manoah forced his way to the big leagues. Drafted in the first round in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Manoah to the sidelines when the minor league season was cancelled, and the 6-foot-6 Florida product wouldn’t be contained the following year.

He went and dominated in Spring Training and continued that trend into the minor leagues before the Jays promoted him for a late May start against the Bronx Bombers. It was a double-header makeup game due to the rain forcing the previous day to be moved.

Making his big league debut at Yankee Stadium, Manoah was unfazed in the moment, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, two walks, and striking out seven in the eventual win.

One of the most exciting prospects to come through the Blue Jays organization in quite some time, right-hander Nate Pearson was regarded as the next ‘ace’ for this organization. Injuries delayed his big league debut until 2020 during the condensed season, and the Florida product would make his eventual debut on July 29th against the Washington Nationals in their home park.

Through five innings, the 6-foot-6 product would dazzle on the mound, allowing just two hits, two walks, and striking out five in the eventual loss.

He would make three more starts that season and one relief outing before a shoulder injury would shut him down. Pearson would struggle to find a rhythm in the big leagues after that, splitting time between Triple-A and Toronto before moving into a bullpen role with the organization. The Jays traded him to the Chicago Cubs at the 2024 trade deadline.

While fans were patiently waiting for the arrival of Nate Pearson, the Blue Jays turned to a fellow rookie to make his big league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays a few days earlier.

Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchage for reliever David Phelps a season before, right-hander Thomas Hatch got the nod to face the Rays at Tropicana Field. It was a short outing for Hatch, who pitched 2 1/3 innings. He kept the Rays off the scoreboard and allowed just two walks in the debut while striking out three before the bullpen took over in the eventual extra innings loss. That would be his lone start of the year, with Hatch moving to the bullpen after.