The Toronto Blue Jays will hand the ball to their most prized young arm on Monday night, as top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage makes his long-anticipated major league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays to open a crucial four-game road series.The 22-year-old right-hander’s arrival comes just over a year after Toronto selected him 20th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of East Carolina University — a meteoric rise that has seen him dominate at four minor-league levels in his first professional season. Yesavage posted a 3.12 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 98 innings across stops in Single-A Dunedin, High-A Vancouver, Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo, earning the call in the thick of a pennant race.CONFIRMED: Trey Yesavage will start and make his @MLB debut tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/xD8GxWd2mB— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 14, 2025Manager John Schneider was quick to stress that this is no late-season experiment.“This isn’t an open tryout,” Schneider said Sunday. “This is a very deliberate decision. We think he can help us win right now.”Toronto has struggled in recent years to develop and sustain homegrown, top-of-the-rotation starters — a void that has often forced the front office to rely on trades and free-agent signings to anchor the staff. If Yesavage can translate his minor-league dominance to the majors, he could become the first true ace to emerge from the system since the days of Roy Halladay.“This came down to taking the opportunity to add the level of talent that Trey brings, Schneider said. “That, more than anything, more than the rest for the other starters, was [the reason]. We feel like this guy can come in and get outs and help us compete, help us win games at the major league level.”Yesavage ready for the big stage with the help of teammatesYesavage soaked it all in on Sunday. He talked with Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber before the game and after the veteran’s impressive six-inning outing.Bieber’s advice?“Just be yourself,” Bieber said. “Throw strikes. Get ahead. Enjoy it. It’s a special thing, and nobody can take that away from you becoming a big league baseball player.“He seems comfortable, ready to go. I’m excited to watch him. I’m excited for him and his family.”The timing could hardly be more high-stakes. Toronto arrives in Tampa riding the momentum of a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre, capped by an 11-2 rout on Sunday. That win pushed the Blue Jays to 87-62, four games clear of the New York Yankees and 5½ ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. With just two weeks left in the regular season, the Jays are chasing their first division crown in a decade.Toronto will follow Yesavage in the series with Jose Berríos, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt.With files from The Canadian Press