TORONTO — First, Trey Yesavage struck out nine batters over five innings of one-run ball during an electric big-league debut. In his next start, he helped the Toronto Blue Jays clinch a post-season berth. The next time out, he set them up to win the American League East, which they did in Game 162. 

Then his outings just got bigger and better from there — tearing through the New York Yankees in an 11-strikeout division series gem; helping fend off elimination versus the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS; pitching the Blue Jays to a pair of World Series wins, including a 12-strikeout, seven-inning masterpiece against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5.

Now, the 22-year-old right-hander’s 2026 season, at long last, begins when he’s activated from the injured list to start against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ). 

After a whirlwind 2025, which began in low-A and ended in an epic Fall Classic, Yesavage needs only to delve into the grind, rather than find his way amid the frenetic stakes of a meteoric rise.

“He's a mature kid,” said pitching coach Pete Walker. “He came in and exceeded our expectations, probably everybody's initially. We've got to make sure he doesn't put too much pressure on himself, like he has to be that guy every time out there. It's virtually impossible to do that over a career, right? So just getting him comfortable with himself again, getting in a good routine, pounding the strike zone, trusting in his stuff and the results will come.”

Just like last September, when the Blue Jays sought a boost from Yesavage ahead of the post-season, they once again need results from him, only this time for different reasons. At 12-16 following Monday’s 5-0 loss to the Red Sox, they are seeking to stack series wins and pull out from a wild, injury-filled opening month, with Max Scherzer becoming the 13th player to hit the injured list.

Yesavage, who reported to spring training with a shoulder impingement that delayed his buildup, is the first of the sidelined Blue Jays to be activated, after an absence “I think I've handled well.”

“My........

© Sportsnet