Gage Stanifer just got promoted to Triple-A, and the Blue Jays' plan for him looks familiar.

Toronto's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline moves up to Buffalo, one level away from his major-league debut.

The 22-year-old was a 19th-round pick, 578th overall, back in the 2022 draft, a long climb that's suddenly speeding up.

The promotion comes as a bit of a surprise given his overall Double-A New Hampshire numbers, a 6-8 record with a 4.82 ERA over 97 innings across 28 appearances.

But context matters here. As a starter, he carried a 5.11 ERA. Since shifting to relief work at the start of August, that number dropped to 3.38 with a 3-1 record.

Over his last five relief appearances, spanning eight innings, he's allowed just one earned run and three hits.

That trend is exactly why the Blue Jays are expected to keep him in a bullpen role with the Bisons, at least for now.

Why this promotion echoes last year's Yesavage path

The timing draws an obvious comparison to Trey Yesavage, who was promoted to Buffalo in mid-August last season before a major-league call-up just a month later.

Toronto's Triple-A pipeline has fed the big-league bullpen constantly this season, making a similar path for Stanifer far from implausible.

The comparison isn't perfect. Yesavage was a starter from day one, and he reached Triple-A a month earlier in his own timeline than Stanifer has now.

What both pitchers share is swing-and-miss stuff. Yesavage racked up 160 strikeouts over 98 innings across four minor-league stops before his call-up.

Stanifer isn't far behind, with 133 strikeouts over 97 innings this season, second in the Eastern League.

Command remains the swing factor. He's currently walking batters at a 5.9 per nine rate, a real concern paired with that strikeout upside.

His arsenal includes a mid-90s four-seamer, a sharp slider, and a changeup, the kind of mix that makes some early control issues a trade-off worth living with.

For now, Buffalo is the assignment. But if he keeps missing bats at this rate, his stay there might not last long.