Trey Yesavage was determined to make one last start, even with the Blue Jays out of the playoffs.

He'd missed 47 days through August and September after surgery Aug. 11 to repair the meniscus in his left knee.

Rather than shutting it down for the rest of his rookie season, the 23-year-old made his intentions known to anyone who'd listen.

"It was a big push for me," Yesavage said Saturday, after allowing a run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts over two innings in a 5-1 loss to the Reds.

"I let everybody that made the decisions on that know that I wanted to be back out there and wanted to play with these guys. I'm just glad they respected me and allowed me to have that opportunity."

Why a disappointing season still ends with real value

He'd made his return Sept. 21 against the Orioles in Baltimore, also working two innings in a 4-3 loss.

For his first full major-league season, Yesavage finished 5-6 with a 3.69 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 97.2 innings, carrying a 1.14 WHIP.

That's a relatively disappointing follow-up after he rocketed through all five levels of Toronto's system last year, then made an immediate splash as a September callup in a critical role during the World Series run.

"There were some bright spots and some spots that I wish would have been different," Yesavage said. "Ultimately, I'm glad just the arm stayed healthy for the year and I'll stick with it into the off-season."

Manager John Schneider sees real long-term value in what Yesavage learned this season, even with the frustrating absence.

"Watching him today, you get frustrated that he missed the time he did down the stretch," Schneider said. "But I think the things that he learned when he was healthy and pitching every time through, will be really important for him next year and going into the off-season."

Yesavage already has plans to expand his arsenal over the winter, experimenting with either a curveball or a two-seam fastball.

"We'll see what works the best," Yesavage said.

For a pitcher whose rookie season didn't go as smoothly as hoped, pushing to make this final start says plenty about how much he wants to build on it heading into 2027.