Shane Bieber is inching toward his first appearance of the season, with manager John Schneider saying the right-hander could start as early as Monday against the Houston Astros after a bullpen session in Chicago on Saturday.
Toronto’s bullpen of questions is starting to sound a little more certain.
Manager John Schneider told reporters on Friday that Shane Bieber could start as early as Monday against the Houston Astros. The catch is procedural: the Blue Jays won’t make any official announcement until after Bieber throws a bullpen session on Saturday in Chicago.
“All signs point towards he’ll be ready to go,” Schneider said.
For Bieber, the road back is already being measured in feel, not hype. The 31-year-old told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling on Friday that he felt good both during and after his most recent outing and liked how his stuff held.
That matters because Bieber hasn’t appeared for the Blue Jays yet this season. He entered the year dealing with forearm fatigue and was placed on the injured list with right-elbow inflammation.
The timeline carries extra weight because Bieber joined Toronto at last season’s trade deadline after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. In the regular season with the Blue Jays, he made seven starts, striking out 37 and posting a 3.57 ERA over 40.1 innings.
His return is coming as Toronto works through a broader health rebound after an injury-riddled start. The Blue Jays have already gotten Alejandro Kirk and Dylan Cease back earlier this month.
Schneider also addressed another piece of the healing list: injured reliever Yimi Garcia. The 35-year-old felt “a little bit sore” after his last rehab outing on Thursday, Schneider said. He added that the soreness “comes with the territory with what he’s going through and coming back from. ” insisting it wasn’t concerning yet but that they would monitor how the next outing goes.
Garcia is scheduled to pitch again for triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. The right-hander has not made an appearance for the Blue Jays this season after undergoing elbow surgery last September.
Shane Bieber Toronto Blue Jays Houston Astros John Schneider Yimi Garcia MLB injury update bullpen session forearm fatigue right-elbow inflammation