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Blue Jays preparing for Trey Yesavage’s return as Eric Lauer shifts to bullpen
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Photo credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
Apr 25, 2026, 13:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 25, 2026, 13:34 EDT
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Through Major League Baseball’s opening month, it feels like the only news that has been coming out of Toronto has been injuries to many key Blue Jays players. 
On Saturday morning, Blue Jays fans finally received good news as The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported that right-hander Trey Yesavage will be activated off the injured list to make his regular-season debut on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. 
At the end of Spring Training, Yesavage was diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement, forcing the rookie phenom to open the season on the 15-day injured list. The 22-year-old made four rehab starts, making two appearances with Single-A Dunedin, and then two more starts in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons. In two starts with the Bisons, Yesavage covered 6 ⅔ innings, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 2.10 WHIP. 
While his numbers don’t jump off the page, the goal of the assignment was to stretch Yesavage out so he could jump right into the rotation upon return. Yesavage topped out at 71 pitches during his third rehab start, so he may be limited to the 80-85 range during his first start. 
Yesavage debuted in September last year, making the climb across four minor league levels before finishing on baseball’s brightest stage: the World Series. In three regular-season starts, Yesavage went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.43 WHIP before taking it up a notch in the postseason. 
In six playoff outings, Yesavage went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, striking out 39 batters across 27 ⅔ dominant innings. The Blue Jays’ 2024 first-round draft pick began his playoff run with 5 ⅓ hitless innings, striking out 11 New York Yankee batters in a performance that many Blue Jays fans will never forget. 
To make room for Yesavage in the rotation, Bannon reported that left-hander Eric Lauer will be shifted to the bullpen. Lauer struggled to begin the 2026 campaign, going 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over five games (four starts). 
Lauer made headlines following his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where the Blue Jays used Braydon Fisher as an opener. Following the outing where Lauer posted a line of 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, Lauer voiced his displeasure, stating, “Going to be real blunt, I hate it”. 
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he and Lauer spoke the following day, and that the two were on the same page about doing what is best for the team. Now Lauer will shift to the bullpen, where the left-hander excelled last season. In 2025, Lauer made 28 appearances (15 starts) and went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, becoming one of the underlying heroes from a magical Blue Jays season. Earlier in the year, Lauer dealt with a flu bug that limited his ability in a start against the Chicago White Sox, in what has been a tough start to the 2026 campaign. 
The Blue Jays are also making a slight adjustment to their weekend pitching plans, switching Dylan Cease and Patrick Corbin’s start days to offset their recent workloads. Corbin will now pitch on Sunday after throwing only 65 pitches during his most recent start on Tuesday. Cease, on the other hand, threw 106 against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 15, followed by 110 in his most recent outing against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
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