Shane Bieber is suddenly right on the doorstep, and John Schneider may get one of the Blue Jays' biggest rotation pieces back as soon as Monday.
Sportsnet reported Friday that Bieber could start Monday against the Astros, with Schneider saying all signs point toward the right-hander being ready to go. Toronto still is not making it official yet, but the path is clearly opening.
The final checkpoint comes first. Schneider said the Blue Jays want to see Bieber throw a bullpen session Saturday in Chicago before announcing anything. That matters because Toronto is not just looking at the rehab box score now. It is deciding whether the arm is ready to jump back into a real major-league turn.
Bieber's latest Triple-A rehab start was not clean. He threw 80 pitches, allowed 5 earned runs and 11 baserunners in 5-plus innings, and did not exactly look like a pitcher cruising to activation.
But the Blue Jays seem to care more about how he felt than how the line looked. Sportsnet reported Bieber told Arden Zwelling he felt good during and after the outing and liked how his stuff held. MLB's injury tracker now lists his expected return as potentially the week of June 22 and says he rejoined the club in Chicago with all signs pointing toward a return when first eligible next week.
That is the part that changes the tone. This is no longer a rehab story first. It is a rotation story.
Toronto needs it to be. Max Scherzer just went back on the injured list with back spasms, and the Blue Jays are again trying to patch around a staff that has spent too much of the season in medical traffic. Bieber's return would not solve everything, but it would give Schneider a far more serious arm than another short-term shuffle.
There is also real Blue Jays value in the pitcher they are getting back. Sportsnet noted Bieber made 7 regular-season starts for Toronto after arriving at last year's deadline and posted a 3.57 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 40.1 innings.
Toronto is close to getting a real starter back
That is why Monday matters so much. If Bieber clears the bullpen session, the Blue Jays would be moving from rehab patience to actual rotation planning against Houston.
The timing could not be much better. Toronto is finally getting healthier in spots, with Alejandro Kirk and Dylan Cease already back earlier this month, and Bieber would give the club another chance to stabilize the staff instead of simply surviving it.
The caution is obvious. One rough rehab start is still one rough rehab start, and the Blue Jays have every reason to be careful with a pitcher coming back from right elbow inflammation after a long build-up.
But Schneider's wording tells you where the team is leaning. Toronto is not talking like a club that thinks Bieber needs 2 more weeks. It is talking like a club waiting for one last bullpen session to confirm what it already believes.
For now, the official answer is still “maybe Monday.” But the Blue Jays have made one thing clear: Shane Bieber is close, and if Saturday goes well, Toronto may finally get him back on the mound against the Astros.
Should the Blue Jays start Shane Bieber on Monday if his bullpen session goes well?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Blue Jays trade for Diamondbacks slugger in one for one trade
