Shane

Bieber

The 31-year-old right-hander struck out three batters in the contest and didn’t issue a base on balls. The important note is that he got up to 59 pitches (40 strikes) in the game. He’s going to need at least one additional rehab start after this one and the Jays may want to see him have some better results in a minor league setting before bringing him back into the rotation mix.

Bieber will make his third rehab outing this weekend after allowing five runs over 2 1/3 innings last Sunday for Low-A Dunedin. The 30-year-old remains a few weeks away from returning to Toronto’s rotation after having his throwing progression delayed due to offseason forearm and elbow issues.

Bieber tossed a pair of scoreless innings in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier this week as he kicked off his lengthy rehab assignment. The 30-year-old was a revelation during last year’s postseason before shockingly picking up his one-year, $16 million player option. It came to light afterwards that he was experiencing forearm fatigue during that playoff run. The expectation is that he’ll continue building up his pitch count and stamina for a few weeks before returning to Toronto’s rotation in mid-to-late June.

Bieber scattered three hits and didn’t hand out a free pass in his first rehab outing as he continues to work his way back from offseason elbow inflammation that delayed his ramp-up process during spring training. The 30-year-old former fantasy ace will require a couple weeks of rehab outings to continue building his arm strength and stamina prior to rejoining Toronto’s rotation for his season debut, most likely in late June.

Bieber has been brought along cautiously after experiencing renewed elbow inflammation over the offseason. He’s going to need several minor league rehab starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Blue Jays’ rotation. If all goes well, expect him to debut before the end of June.

Bieber will face hitters a couple times before he’s ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment. The 30-year-old starter has been brought along slowly over the last few months after dealing with elbow inflammation over the offseason. There’s a chance he’s ready to make his season debut at some point in June.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the plan is for Bieber to throw another two-up bullpen this weekend and then face live hitters next week. That would mean that, if everything goes according to plan, Bieber may begin a rehab assignment in the middle of May and could push for a return to the Blue Jays’ rotation in June. There are still a lot of hurdles left to clear.

Bieber still needs to progress to facing hitters in a live setting before he’s cleared for a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old righty was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week in a procedural move that will keep him out until at least late May. At this point, it might be more realistic for fantasy managers to anticipate a return at some point in June since he’ll need several weeks of rehab starts.

This puts Bieber out until the end of May, but that’s already what he was tracking for anyway. He’s been throwing bullpen sessions and is expected to begin facing hitters soon. Bieber has been on the shelf since spring training due to elbow inflammation.

Bieber made it through Saturday’s throwing session without any issues and will repeat the process again this week. The 30-year-old former fantasy ace should progress to facing hitters at some point later this month before embarking on a minor league rehab assignment. He’s unlikely to make his season debut until at least mid-May.