Blue Jays prospect notes: Jake Bloss' injury, Trey Yesavage's ascendance and more

New York Times

07-05-2025

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jake Bloss was on the brink of a big-league return. Then, the Triple-A starter walked off an Iowa mound as Buffalo Bisons medical staff felt his throwing arm.
The right-hander had imaging on his right elbow in Toronto, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, and may see a doctor outside the organization. It's a setback for the surging starter, Keith Law's No. 6 ranked prospect in the Blue Jays' system, and the latest blow to Toronto's rotation depth.
Bloss' injury came just days after Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins lauded the starter's recent progress and tapped him as MLB ready, perhaps the next arm in line for Toronto's final rotation spot.
Prior to his injury, Bloss made minor delivery tweaks and impressed Toronto's development staff with a step forward in command. The precision showed in Bloss' side sessions — Buffalo pitching coach Drew Hayes called it 'as good of side work as I can imagine with any player at Triple A' — and it flashed in Bloss' recent starts before the injury. But now, Bloss has gone from pushing toward the big leagues to hoping for health.
Here are other notes and names to watch from the Blue Jays' minor leagues: Easton Lucas cutting up Triple A
Remember Lucas' two sparkling outings to start 2025? Toronto's rotation depth would look a lot cleaner with that version of Lucas back in the big leagues, or anything close to it.
The lefty's two strong starts to begin 2025 were followed by consecutive shellackings against the Braves and Mariners (14 earned runs in six and 2/3 innings). The league adjusted. So the Blue Jays sent the 28-year-old back to Triple A, where he's looked far closer to the guy who dazzled at Fenway Park.
Lucas threw six shutout innings in a Thursday start against the Iowa Cubs, earning eight whiffs. Three of those swings-and-misses came against the cutter — a pitch both old and new. Lucas used the cut fastball 21 percent of the time last year but basically scrapped it ahead of 2025.
The 89 mph pitch is back at the recommendation of the Blue Jays' MLB and minor-league coaching staffs, providing Lucas an option between his four-seam fastball and hard slider. Most importantly, it gives Lucas a second hard delivery if he loses four-seam command, as he did against the Braves and Mariners. It's a pitch the lefty threw for nearly 60 percent strikes last year, a higher rate than all but his slider. With Bloss' injury, Lucas is one of Toronto's top options for rotation depth. Even with José Ureña and Spencer Turnbull signed, Lucas may soon get his shot to test the counter-adjustment at the top level.
'You saw it in the first two starts in the big leagues,' Hayes said. 'He's probably not going to be that over the course of a whole season — shutting out the Nationals and the Red Sox at Fenway — but he's got the ability to be pretty damn good. Hopefully we get him back a little closer to that.' Trey Yesavage: Don't get comfortable in Dunedin
Yesavage's baseball path is eerily similar to Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman's. Both pitchers were lightly recruited out of high school, broke out at East Carolina University and became Blue Jays first-round picks and top prospects.
It took Hoffman nine years to throw strikes for the Blue Jays' MLB club. Yesavage's journey should be much swifter. With 36 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA in five Dunedin outings, the 21-year-old is clearly ready for a new challenge. He may not be long in Low A, and Atkins basically confirmed it last week.
'We are confident that he is someone that could move quickly,' Atkins said.
With the weather warming in Vancouver (high of 21 degrees Celsius on Tuesday) and New Hampshire, Yesavage can soon head north. Khal Stephen, a 2024 second-round pick with a 1.82 ERA in his first six Dunedin starts, may get the plane seat beside him. There's power in the low minors
While Toronto's big-league club struggles to put baseball over walls, the Blue Jays have some homer launchers in the lower minors. Arjun Nimmala, Toronto's 2023 first-round pick, draws plenty of attention with the second-most home runs in the Northwest League (six). The high school draft pick is still over three years younger than the NWL's average player.
Outfielder Yeuni Muñoz is another young prospect putting up power numbers — at least he was. The Dominican sits fourth in the Florida State League with five homers and third in OPS. But the surge has been put on hold as the 21-year-old hasn't played since April 27, suffering a right quad strain. The strain is described as moderate by a team official, so it may still be a few weeks before Muñoz returns to launching in Dunedin. Potential FCL pitching risers
The lowest level of Toronto's affiliates kicked off play Saturday in the Florida Complex League. One name to watch in the FCL is lefty pitcher Johnny King, the Blue Jays' third-round pick in 2024. King has a fastball touching 95 mph and a nasty curveball. His physical makeup (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) and mental maturity make the Blue Jays optimistic King is a future big leaguer.
Right-hander Silvano Hechavarria is another potential FCL riser. The 22-year-old Cuban had 57 strikeouts and a 1.84 ERA in 10 Dominican Summer League starts last year. His fastball sits around 92 mph, but can touch 96. If Yesavage and Stephen graduate from Dunedin, Hechavarria could move up to fill a spot.
(Top photo of right-hander Jake Bloss during spring training: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images)