The top prospect, who was selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of East Carolina, made his major league debut on Monday night in a win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in 11-innings on Monday night at Steinbrenner Field.

With the win, Toronto is now 88-62 on the season. They own the best record in the American League and are closing in on their first American League East title since 2015.

And while this season has been guided by a number of key veteran players, it was a rookie who stole the show on Monday night. Top prospect Trey Yesavage, who was drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, went five strong innings. He gave up one earned run on three hits, walking two and striking out nine. It was his major league debut.

He featured an excellent fastball and a devastating splitter, which resulted in him making history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

most swings & misses by a pitcher in his MLB debut, pitch-tracking era (2008):  

3/30/24 Jared Jones: 22

4/3/08 Johnny Cueto: 21

4/1/24 Shota Imanaga: 20

5/30/13 Alex Colome: 20

9/15/25 Trey Yesavage: 19

9/9/25 Connelly Early: 19

5/13/18 Freddy Peralta: 19

h/t the wizard @JasonBernard_

Furthermore, the nine strikeouts are the most ever for a Jays pitcher in his MLB debut.

About Yesavage's rise

Just 22 years old, Yesavage was selected in the draft out of East Carolina. He did not pitch last season professionally, as the Jays shut him down after the draft.

Thus, this is his first professional season, and he's risen all the way from Single-A to the big leagues in just one season's time.

Ranked as the No. 25 prospect in baseball, he went 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 25 games in the minor leagues. He struck out 160 batters across just 98 innings.

Playoff potential

Given that Yesavage was already on the 40-man roster, he is eligible to play for the Blue Jays in the playoffs. That doesn't mean that he will, but after this performance, it seems hard to fathom the team keeping him off the roster.

Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Jose Berrios are all seasoned starters, but could Yesavage bump someone from the rotation? Or could he become a great bullpen weapon?

It all remains to be seen.

Up next

The Blue Jays and Rays will play again on Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. ET.