Blue Jays Insider Gives Hint When Shane Bieber Could Make Team Debut
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The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the only teams that hasn't seen one of their key trade deadline additions in action for them. That's because Shane Bieber is still working his way back to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The good news is it appears like the wait is coming to an end, with Bieber's rehab assignment finishing up and the only thing that is left to do is activate him off the injured list and add him to the roster.
When that might happen is what everyone is waiting for, but Keegan Matheson of MLB.com put in a prediction for when he believes Bieber will make his team debut.
Shane Bieber’s rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo is finished and it all looked very, very good.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 16, 2025
7 IP • 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 K
• 90 pitches
He’s ready. Surely, his next start comes with the #BlueJays. I’d bet on the Marlins series.
If it is when Toronto faces the Miami Marlins like Matheson is predicting, then that wouldn't be until at least Friday, Aug. 22 when the Blue Jays travel down to South Florida to begin an interleague matchup against the NL East side.
However, that would make the most sense from a rotation standpoint. Against the Pittsburgh Pirates, their series which is set to get underway on Monday, the trio of Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt are the probables.
Eric Lauer is currently scheduled to pitch Game 1 against the Marlins, so it stands to reason that he might be bumped from the rotation to make room for Bieber, despite the fact that he's had a great season to date compared to what was expected from him.
What Can Blue Jays Fans Expect From Bieber?
It's hard to say with certainty what the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner is going to look like coming off Tommy John surgery. But the last time he was pitching for the Cleveland Guardians during the early portion of the 2024 campaign, he was dominant with no earned runs allowed across his two outings, striking out 20 batters in 12 innings pitched.
If Toronto is able to get production from Bieber, this could go down as the best trade of the deadline period. However, even if they get closer to the career 3.22 ERA he's had since being promoted to The Show, that would bode well for this rotation going forward.
All signs have been positive across his seven rehab starts, with the right-hander owning a 1.86 ERA with 37 strikeouts and just three walks in 29 innings pitched. The next step for Bieber is to pitch in the big leagues again, and it appears like that could be happening sooner rather than later.
