Imaging on Trey Yesavage's left knee revealed a meniscus issue, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, and Yesavage will travel to Texas Monday to see a specialist.
The right-hander was placed on the injured list Wednesday for what was initially labeled left knee inflammation, but the MRI results suggest this could be more serious than first believed.
"Surgery is always a possibility," John Schneider told reporters. "We're obviously hoping to avoid that."
Yesavage was pulled from Tuesday's outing in Houston after just two innings, walking off in discomfort after warming up before the third. The injury hadn't affected his performance up to that point, as he'd retired six straight Astros after a leadoff walk.
This season has already been complicated for Yesavage, who opened the year on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement following last year's run to the World Series.
He returned at the end of April and delivered real results, posting a 3.65 ERA supported by a 3.36 xERA across 18 starts, with a 1.16 WHIP despite an 11.9 percent walk rate, largely thanks to limiting opponents to a .180 batting average.
Why workload was already becoming a real concern
Yesavage threw 112 innings between the minors and majors last season, adding another 27.2 in the postseason, and had already reached 91.2 innings by August despite his delayed start.
Toronto was likely facing a workload management decision down the stretch regardless, a conversation now moot with this injury.
Toronto has already reshaped its rotation significantly, trading longtime ace Kevin Gausman while adding Jose Soriano, Jameson Taillon and Spencer Arrighetti through separate deals.
Arrighetti's own timeline is now in question too, pulled from his Triple-A rehab start Thursday after an otherwise hitless 2.1 innings in his Blue Jays debut, following right foot nerve irritation that sidelined him in Houston.
He posted an 8.34 ERA over his final nine starts with the Astros before the trade, making his health and form both real question marks heading into a potential Toronto debut.
It's a bit like watching two dominoes fall in the same rotation within days of each other, each injury complicating an already unsettled pitching staff.
Does Yesavage's workload history suggest this injury was building for a while, or is this simply an unfortunate, unrelated setback for a rookie who'd otherwise pitched well all season?
Do you think Trey Yesavage needs season-ending knee surgery after these MRI results?
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