Shane Bieber Roughed Up in Latest Blue Jays Injury Rehab Start

When it comes to injury rehab starts for pitchers the results only matter so much the first or second time out. But the third? Teams like to see a little effectiveness.

That’s the quandary the Toronto Blue Jays may face with injured starting pitcher Shane Bieber in the short term after his third injury rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday afternoon against Worcester.

Facing Triple-A hitters for the first time while on his rehab assignment, he went 2.2 innings, giving up six hits, three earned runs and no walks as he struck out three. He threw 59 pitches, 40 of which were strikes. He filled up the zone but only recorded one groundball out.

So, is he ready? The Blue Jays will have to figure that out.

Shane Bieber’s Up-and-Down Rehab Assignment

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber winds up to throw a baseball during a game — Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Bieber has been on the injured list all season with right elbow inflammation. The Blue Jays acquired him at last year’s trade deadline as he was wrapping up his recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2025. He gave them a real boost down the stretch and in a playoff run that took Toronto to Game 7 of the World Series before they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bieber exercised his option to return in 2026, but the elbow inflammation severely impacted his spring training ramp-up.

Once he was ready to rehab, his first stop was in the Florida Complex League, which is Toronto’s short-season rookie league time. It’s an odd place for a former Cy Young winner to start but the timing was right. He threw two innings and gave up three hits. But he also struck out three and didn’t allow a run. It served as a good start.

Toronto kept him in Florida and started him at Class-A Dunedin on May 31 and he had some issues. He went 2.1 innings, giving up six hits and five earned runs. He struck out two and walked one. While performance matters less than throwing and recovery, that performance, coupled with what happened in Buffalo on Saturday, puts his progress under a microscope.

Like most teams, Toronto likely wants Bieber at 75 pitches before it considers activating him. He’s on the 60-day IL, so a move required a 40-man move which may mean releasing a player. The Blue Jays probably want to put that off until they’re certain Bieber is ready. Another rehab start seems likely, but nothing is official until the Blue Jays decide.

Bieber’s start ended an odd three days for Buffalo in which it hosted veteran starters on rehab assignments on consecutive days. On Thursday, Dylan Cease pitches his first rehab game and Max Scherzer followed on Friday. Toronto is hopeful that at least one of them can join the rotation next week, which has been under pressure for most of the season due to injuries.

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