DUNEDIN — With the World Baseball Classic in full swing, the annual spring training fatigue seems to have firmly set in around the Toronto Blue Jays, though there are still a few intriguing storylines floating around in the hot and humid Florida air.

And there’s no better place to start than with the franchise’s brightest young phenom.

Yesavage officially returned to game action on Wednesday at the Blue Jays’ player development complex, throwing two ups (two innings) against minor-league hitters. He concluded his simulated game after 35 pitches, allowing five runs on three hits — including a pair of home runs to Jay Harry and Jackson Hornung — and two walks with zero strikeouts.

The 22-year-old righty, pitching in front of the assembled Blue Jays brass, which included manager John Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and general manager Ross Atkins, faced four batters without recording an out in his first inning of action before the top half of the frame was called — one of the perks of a simulated game.

Upon returning for his second up (or second inning), Yesavage issued another walk before inducing a fielder’s choice on a ground ball to second base. Due up next was Harry, who ended the 6-foot-4 starter’s outing following his two-run blast.

There were a fair number of arm-side misses from Yesavage, who seemed to be battling his command during his first game appearance of any kind this spring. But the results aren’t important right now, as Schneider reiterated afterwards. The main priority is keeping him healthy and getting his reps in before camp wraps up in two weeks.

Wednesday’s outing will be followed by a recovery day on Thursday for Yesavage. The club is still working through what comes next, but they’re planning to keep him on a starter’s schedule moving forward, meaning his next outing — which could be another sim game or his Grapefruit League debut — will likely be next Tuesday.

Varsho is, at long last, back to full strength.

A year and a half removed from off-season shoulder surgery, the days of spending three hours or longer in the trainer’s room each day are long gone for the 29-year-old outfielder. This time last year, receiving treatment occupied most of his time at the player development complex. But no more.

This spring, he’s exactly where he wants to be — fully healthy and ready to perform at his full capability, especially with his Gold Glove-calibre defence in centre.

After posting the lowest average arm strength (73.7 m.p.h.) of his career in 2025, which was a full 10 clicks lower than his ’24 reading, Varsho feels confident about where his left shoulder is with roughly two weeks to go until Opening Day.

Last year, opposing teams were able to take advantage of his recovering arm, stealing an extra 90 feet off him as he was still working to build his strength back up to 100 per cent. Starting this season, however, he expects things to return to the way they were prior to last.

Any time he has an opportunity to beat someone to second or third base with the ball, nothing is holding him back now.

Keeping Lauer stretched out as a starter remains the objective for Toronto this late in camp. While he’s expected to return to the bullpen once the regular season opens — he’ll likely be an option to piggyback with Yesavage, who may only be built up to 3-4 innings by Opening Day — the team intends to give him a full starter’s workload.

Even with a full rotation, injuries can always flare up unexpectedly, so keeping starter Eric Lauer in their back pocket is a well-advised approach. Hoping for the best, but planning for the worst, is usually the best strategy to have with any rotation — particularly a veteran one like the Blue Jays’.

Lauer will make his fourth exhibition start on Wednesday against the New York Yankees, likely aiming for 60-70 pitches after tossing 46 in his previous outing.

With several regulars away for the WBC, including the entire starting infield, additional opportunities have opened up for many of the organization’s rising prospects — and Schneider specifically mentioned Valenzuela and Kasevich as two position players who’ve opened the most eyes thus far.

Valenzuela, in particular, has impressed the Blue Jays’ brass with his maturity behind the plate, mainly with how well he’s handled the challenge of game-calling for many of the club’s A-list pitchers — with Max Scherzer being the most notable. But he’s also surprised many, including Schneider, with his bat. Not just with the results, which feature a .375/.450/.625 slash line entering Wednesday’s showdown versus the Bronx Bombers, but also with the overall quality of his plate appearances.

As for Kasevich, who enters Wednesday tied atop the Blue Jays’ spring leaderboard in hard-hit balls with 13, sitting alongside Varsho, the more the coaching staff sees of him, the more they like.

The best thing for Kasevich — who isn’t on the 40-man roster — is that he’s back to full health after spending much of last season on the injured list with back and wrist injuries. On top of showcasing his plus defence, the 25-year-old is also proving plenty at the plate, hitting for lots of contact that’ll likely help push him to the majors later this season.