Minor League Baseball

Shane Bieber Does Something in Minor League Rehab Start He Hasn't Done Since 2022

Bieber's fastball velocity was back in his first appearance with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Brady Farkas|
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field in 2023.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field in 2023. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

After being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline, longtime Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber did something he hasn't done at the big-league level since 2022 on Sunday.

While pitching for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons as he works back from Tommy John surgery, Bieber hit 94 mph with his fastball.

Per @CodifyBaseball on social media:

Shane Bieber, 94+ MPH Pitches:
2018 - 192
2019 - 140
2020 - 278
2021 - 44
2022 - 4
2023 - 0
2024 - 0
2025 - 2 today in this rehab start!

The 30-year-old Bieber has made five minor league appearances, going 0-1 with a 2.20 ERA in 16.1 innings. He's given up just four runs while striking out 27. He's making $14 million this season and holds a player option for 2026, so it will be interesting if he chooses to return back to Toronto in 2026 or test the free agent market.

However, before any one can worry about that, he needs to get back to the majors. It's unclear how long the Blue Jays plan to have him rehab, but it seems as if he's getting closer to a return.

Lifetime, he's 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA. He won the American League Cy Young Award in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

The Blue Jays will be back in action on Monday night when they take on the league-worst Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m. ET as Eric Lauer (TOR) pitches against Tanner Gordon (COL).

Lauer is 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA while Gordon is 2-3 with a 4.85.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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