Trey Yesavage, Khal Stephen Climb One Step Up Jays' Minor League Ladder

[Seth Stohs]

Last July, when the Blue Jays drafted Trey Yesavage with the 20th overall pick and Khal Stephen with the 59th overall pick, they knew they were not going to pitch in games in 2024. Yesavage had already pitched 15 games and 93 1/3 innings at East Carolina. He went 11-1 with a 2.03 ERA and had 145 strikeouts to go with just 32 walks. Stephen had made 16 starts for Mississippi State in 2024. In his 96 innings, he had 107 strikeouts to go with just 21 walks.   

The Jays sent both of their top two picks to Low-A Dunedin in 2025, in part just to let them get their feet wet in professional baseball. If they're honest, it was also probably an attempt to force themselves to not push the college stars too quickly. 

As you would expect from college pitchers selected in the early rounds, these two right-handers put up impressive numbers in Dunedin. Stephen went 3-0 with a 2.06 ERA over 39 1/3 innings. He made seven starts and one relief appearance (in which he recorded a save). He notched 48 strikeouts with just seven walks. Yesavage was also 3-0. He had a 2.43 ERA in seven starts and 33 1/3 innings. He had 55 strikeouts to go with just eight walks.     

On Monday, both players learned that they were making the long trek from the Orlando airport to Vancouver. The Canadians are currently 17-22 and will be helped by the addition of two high-ceiling starters. Moving to the High-A Northwest League should provide a little more of a challenge for both pitchers. However, both are ready for that challenge. And, don't be surprised if one or both of them make another move forward (to Double-A New Hampshire) before the season comes to an end. 

Yesavage ranks #3 on the Jays Centre Top 20 prospect list, while Stephen currently ranks #5. They will be joined on the long plane ride by #13-ranked prospect RHP Gage Stanifer.  

The 21-year-old was the Jays' 19th-round draft pick in 2022 out of high school in Indiana. He worked as a starter in his first two pro seasons. He has moved to the bullpen in 2025 but has pitched four innings in six of his seven outings.     

Stanifer went 4-0 with two saves in his seven relief appearances for Dunedin. He pitched to a 0.69 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. In 26 innings, he had 38 strikeouts and 12 walks.      

Of course, to add three pitchers from Low-A, something had to give in Vancouver. 

Juaron Watts-Brown, Jays Centre's #19 prospect, was promoted from Vancouver to New Hampshire. The 23-year-old was 0-3 in eight starts but had a solid ERA of 3.62. Also, in 37 1/3 innings, he had a remarkable 62 strikeouts and just 12 walks. The Jays' third-round pick in 2022 from Oklahoma State, he also made nine starts for the Canadians in 2024.     

Three more pitchers will be joining Watts-Brown on the flight to New Hampshire. One is RHP Grant Rogers. He has made eight starts this season and is 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA. Rogers was the Jays' 11th 11th-round pick in 2023 from McNeese State. In 39 2/3 innings this season, he has 39 strikeouts. His 18 walks are something to work on, but something he has never had an issue with in the past. Rogers turns 24 on Thursday. 

Kevin Miranda signed with the Jays after going undrafted despite going 13-1 with a 2.44 ERA in his final season at NAIA LSU-Shreveport. Now 26, he has spent parts of the past two seasons with the Canadians. In fact, last season he also made five appearances for New Hampshire. With this promotion, he will get some more. In nine games (six starts) for Vancouver this year, he is 3-4 with a 7.57 ERA.

The 27-year-old Nate Garkow is also moving up to New Hampshire. He spent four years at Point Loma Nazarene and then played independent ball in 2022, 2023, and 2024 before the Blue Jays signed him from the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. With the Canadians this season, he was 1-0 with two saves and a 7.56 ERA over 10 appearances. In 16 2/3 innings, he had 32 strikeouts but also 14 walks. He's had five good games and five bad games, and as you can imagine, his success usually depends on his control. 

In addition, the Canadians activated 21-year-old outfielder Victor Arias and 22-year-old reliever Irv Carter from the injured list. 

A couple of 26-year-olds are moving up to Buffalo from New Hampshire. Ryan McCarty mostly played second base for the Fisher Cats this season. In 25 games, he has hit .286/.405/.414 (.819) with three doubles and two homers. 

RHP CJ Van Eyk, the Jays' second-round pick in 2020 out of Florida State, is also moving up to the Bisons. He is 2-4 with a 4.42 ERA in seven starts this season. In 36 2/3 innings, he has 36 strikeouts and 11 walks. 

In addition, 25-year-old RHP Anders Tolhurst has been placed on the injured list for Buffalo.

Jays #15 prospect, Charles McAdoo, has been placed on the Fisher Cats' development list. It's been a rough start to his season. In 33 games, he is hitting just .193/.273/.261 (.533). The 23-year-old played in 37 games for New Hampshire last year after joining the organization from the Pirates in the Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade. He hit just .185/.287/.323 (.609) in those games after hitting .269/.347/.490 (.838) in 27 games for Altoona, the Pirates' Double-A affiliate. He had posted OPSs well over .900 at both the Low-A and High-A levels, as well as in his final two seasons at San Jose State. So, hopefully a little break, and maybe some rest, will be exactly what he needs to regain that prospect status. 

Finally, we'll end on more positive news on this high-transaction day. Shortstop Josh Kasevich began his rehab assignment with the FCL Blue Jays on Tuesday. In his first game, he batted second and played shortstop. He went 1-for-2 before being replaced by Drew Jemison for the rest of the game. In five innings on defense, Kasevich caught two pop-ups and tagged a runner out trying to steal second. He didn't get any ground balls hit at him. 

Kasevich, the Jays' #11 prospect, learned in early May that he had a stress reaction in his back. He's been rehabbing for the past two-and-a-half months.   

Transactions happen often throughout a minor-league season as player development directors try to make sure all of the affiliates have enough players to compete. What is rare is seeing this many top prospects moving on up. 

Which are you most excited about? Obviously, Yesavage and Stephen are the big prospects, exciting pitchers drafted 10 months ago out of college. But Watts-Brown is similar, as a third-round pick out of college just a year earlier. Stanifer was a high school pick, so no surprise it took him a bit of time to find something that clicked for him, but whatever he found earned him this promotion. And, how much has Kasevich been missed in the early season? Can Van Eyk regain some of his pre-surgery prospect status as he is now just one level from the big leagues?

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[Simon Li]

I'm most excited to see Kasevich back, he's been an afterthought, but he's had such an excellent end to his 2024 season, so I'm hoping he carries the success he had last season into this season, and hopefully he can lift the ball a little more to get into his power. 

[Orgfiller]

11 minutes ago, Simon Li said:

I'm most excited to see Kasevich back, he's been an afterthought, but he's had such an excellent end to his 2024 season, so I'm hoping he carries the success he had last season into this season, and hopefully he can lift the ball a little more to get into his power. 

Him and Leo Jimenez both for me.

[Daniel Labude]

Biggest thing here is Scout the Statline and formulated rankings, awesome!