Former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber provided a positive health update as he looks to return to the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation.
Bieber has not pitched for the Blue Jays this season due to right elbow inflammation, which crept up for him during spring training. Thankfully, it appears that Bieber is starting to get better, and the hope is that he can return to the team’s rotation soon. With the Blue Jays having several starting pitchers banged up this season, getting Bieber back would be a massive addition for the team.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Bieber spoke to reporters and gave a positive health update, while confirming he is close to throwing to live hitters in his rehab.
Speaking with Shane Bieber, one of the many injured #BlueJays visiting the team in Tampa, he said he’s close to progressing to live hitters. His progression is “going as planned” and he “feels great”
Throwing a side in Tampa tomorrow, and will need live ABs and rehab games after
“Speaking with Shane Bieber, one of the many injured #BlueJays visiting the team in Tampa, he said he’s close to progressing to live hitters. His progression is ‘going as planned’ and he ‘feels great.’ Throwing a side in Tampa tomorrow, and will need live ABs and rehab games after,” wrote The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon on X.
This is great news for the Blue Jays, as they are dearly missing Bieber from their starting rotation. Acquired at last year’s MLB trade deadline from the Cleveland Guardians, Bieber only pitched in 7 games for the Blue Jays during the regular season, but when he did pitch, he was quite effective. In 40.1 IP, Bieber posted a 3.57 ERA and posted 0.8 bWAR in a short amount of time. He also pitched well for the Blue Jays in the postseason, throwing in 5 games with a 3.86 ERA.
The Blue Jays’ rotation has been banged up all season long, so getting Bieber back will be huge for the team when he is ready to step back onto the mound for Toronto.
So far this season, the Blue Jays have dealt with many injuries to their starters, including Max Scherzer, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, and Jose Berrios. They have been carried by strong performances from Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease, plus a promising start to the season from late-addition free agent Patrick Corbin. But Eric Lauer has struggled, testing the team’s depth.
When Bieber does come back to the Blue Jays, he will give the team a veteran, experienced arm that has proven he is an elite talent in this league. In the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, Bieber won the American League Cy Young Award as the league’s top pitcher while winning the Triple Crown. He performed well during his seven seasons in Cleveland, and when the Blue Jays picked him up at the deadline last year, the hope was that he could help them win the World Series. The team came close, ultimately losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Bieber is currently playing on a one-year, $16 million contract, and he will become a free agent this offseason. If he can come back and show both the Blue Jays and the league as a whole that he still has top-notch stuff, he could earn himself a nice free-agent payday next winter.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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