Shane

Bieber

Interviewed on TSN 1050, Jays manager John Schneider today said Bieber could be back on the mound within a week or two. If all goes well from there, his IL stay to open the season should be a short one.

It’s certainly become clear why Bieber stunningly exercised his $16 million player option over the winter. It sounds like Bieber won’t be in the mix for the Opening Day rotation, which means José Berríos is essentially a lock for the rotation. Eric Lauer would be next in line.

If Bieber didn’t think he would pass a physical, that could definitely explain why he surprisingly exercised a $16 million player option to stay with the Blue Jays. Hopefully, it’s not that bad, though. We probably won’t have much better of an idea until he starts tuning up for the Grapefruit League.

Bieber, who exercised his $16 million player option last month to return to Toronto for 2026, made just a handful of starts this past season in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old looked sharp in seven regular-season starts and was outstanding in the postseason, but the Blue Jays clearly don’t want him ramping up too quickly in camp. He’ll be a clear top-50 range starting pitcher for fantasy purposes despite some lingering workload concerns.

Bieber’s return is a major boost for Toronto’s rotation, as he’s opted to stay with the Blue Jays for at least another season to rebuild his long-term value before hitting free agency. It’s a massive surprise given how strong he looked in October and how many teams likely would’ve shown interest in a far more lucrative multi-year deal. The 30-year-old former fantasy ace made just seven regular-season starts this year in his return from Tommy John surgery but posted a solid 3.86 ERA over 18 2/3 innings during the postseason. He’ll projects as a top-50 fantasy starter next spring despite some clear durability concerns.

Bieber came through with an impressive effort in a critical spot for the Blue Jays to help them to even the Fall Classic after dropping an 18-inning marathon in Game 3 less than 24 hours earlier. The 30-year-old former Guardians ace wasn’t overpowering, but he managed to settle in after giving up a second-inning sacrifice fly to Enrique Hernández, keeping Los Angeles off the scoreboard into the sixth. He was lifted with one out in the frame after giving up singles to Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández but got some help from reliever Mason Fluharty, who stranded both inherited runners to keep the lead intact. He’s posted a strong 3.57 ERA across 17 2/3 innings over four starts this postseason and figures to be available in relief for the rest of the series, if needed.

He’ll be followed by Shane Bieber in Game 4. Scherzer was brilliant in a victory over the Mariners in Game 4 of the ALDS — striking out five batters over 5 2/3 innings of two-run baseball. Depending on Saturday night’s result, he’ll either be working to give the Jays a commanding 3-0 lead in the series or pitching a pivotal battle if the series is knotted up at one game apiece.

Bieber surrendered a run-scoring single to Josh Naylor in the opening frame and a go-ahead homer to Julio Rodríguez in the third. He was lifted in the fourth inning after issuing a two-out walk to Victor Robles. The 30-year-old righty wasn’t as effective as his Game 3 outing earlier in the series, but he played a key role in helping get Toronto to the Fall Classic.

A very impressive effort. It didn’t start that way, as Bieber walked Randy Arozarena to begin the game, and with one out gave up a long homer to Julio Rodríguez and a double to Jorge Polanco. From that point on, the right-hander was excellent, striking out eight and giving up only two more hits before exiting. Bieber was shaky in his start against the Yankees, but this was the version — possibly to a lesser extent — that was so good with Cleveland prior to his injuries. He’ll likely be the starter for Game 7 if the Blue Jays can get there.

Bieber struggled in his first playoff start this season against the Yankees, allowing three runs, two earned, in 2 2/3 innings in a Game 3 loss. In his career, he has a 5.23 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 24/7 K/BB ratio in 20 2/3 postseason innings across four starts. The Blue Jays are desperate for him to shake out of that rut and deliver a big performance to keep in the series.