Key Injury Updates From Blue Jays Emphasizes Near Return for Many Players
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If one word has been able to summarize the Toronto Blue Jays 2026 season accurately, it is easily injuries. It is incredibly impressive that the ball club has been able to keep its head above water with so many players falling victim to the dreaded injured list.
The Blue Jays have been without an unfathomable number of starters, with both the position players and the pitching staff. But many have all begun or been assigned to rehab, meaning that if all goes well, they are a week or two away from rejoining the roster.
It feels as though nobody has been spared from IL this year, but some have been missed longer than others — like their catcher. Alejandro Kirk, alongside Addison Barger. Both are making progress towards their inevitable return.
But the infield isn't the only piece that could soon welcome back faces, as Triple-A Buffalo is set to host Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, and Shane Bieber, meaning that the Bison now have more MLB starting pitchers than Toronto.
All of the Updates Released on Tuesday
There have been many housed in IL, so it isn't shocking that there are many who have news regarding their progress towards the dugout, but Tuesday felt like the most information that was received, which puts a plethora ready to come back.
*Note* All of the following comes straight from MLB and the Blue Jays' official site.
- Starting Pitcher Dylan Cease, mild left hamstring strain: Cease ran and threw a bullpen on Tuesday. He could start in Triple-A on Thursday.
- Starting Pitcher Max Scherzer, forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. He threw a bullpen alongside Cease in Atlanta. He's expected to start for Buffalo on Friday with a goal of reaching 60 pitches.
- Starting Pitcher Shane Bieber, elbow inflammation: Will throw a bullpen with Toronto on Wednesday, followed by a Triple-A start to be scheduled.
- Catcher Alejandro Kirk, fractured thumb: Will begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday at Class-A Dunedin.
- Utility Man Addison Barger, elbow inflammation: Began a hitting and throwing program in Dunedin.
- Relief Pitcher Yimi Garcia, rehab from 2025 Tommy John: He will throw a one-inning bullpen on Wednesday in Dunedin.
If someone wants to be negative, then point out how most of these guys haven't stepped very far into their rehab assignment. But realistically, the fact that this many are ready to suit up in the minors means that some major roster shifts are coming.
The inevitable moment is coming. The one that everybody has been waiting for, where more than one is welcomed back to the team with open arms.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.