Minor League Baseball

Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly Working on Rehab Plan For Newly Acquired Cy Young Winner

Here's when Shane Bieber could appear in a game with the Jays organization.
Brady Farkas|
Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber smiles as he takes the mound during the first inning of a rehab start for the Akron RubberDucks on Sept. 12, 2023, at Canal Park.
Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber smiles as he takes the mound during the first inning of a rehab start for the Akron RubberDucks on Sept. 12, 2023, at Canal Park. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired former Cy Young starting pitcher Shane Bieber on Thursday at the trade deadline. Bieber, who is working back from a 2024 Tommy John surgery, has not pitched in the majors this year, but could factor into the Jays plans down the stretch.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays could have him make his first rehab appearance in the organization on Sunday at Triple-A Buffalo. They are figuring out a plan for him.

The 30-year-old Bieber has made four minor league appearances, going 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings. He's given up just two runs. 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.

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 enter play on Friday at 64-46 and in first place in the American League East and they feel primed to win their first World Series title since 1993. They'll take on the Kansas City Royals at 7:07 p.m. ET as Kevin Gausman pitches against veteran Michael Wacha.

Gausman is 7-7 with a 3.82 ERA while Wacha is 4-9 with a 3.53. Kansas City enters play at 54-55 and on the fringes of the playoff race. They advanced to the American League Division Series last year and are dealing with major injuries to their starting rotation.

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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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