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When will Shane Bieber play for Toronto Blue Jays and where does he fit in pitching rotation?

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Jul 31 2025, 4:24 pm
When will Shane Bieber play for Toronto Blue Jays and where does he fit in pitching rotation?
David Richard/Imagn Images

The trade deadline isn’t over, but the Toronto Blue Jays may have already made their biggest move of the day.

On early Thursday, it was announced that the Blue Jays acquired former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians. It came at a fairly significant cost, as the Jays parted ways with pitcher Khal Stephen, who was recently ranked as the 80th best prospect in baseball by FanGraphs.

There is some concern over Bieber, who pitched just 12 innings in 2024 and has yet to play in the MLB this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. That said, a return to the mound doesn’t appear to be far off.

Bieber has been making progress in the minor league levels as he continues to work towards a return. His most recent start saw him strike out seven while giving up one run over four innings for Double-A Akron on Tuesday. He was able to throw 58 pitches in what marked the third start of his rehab assignment.

“I feel like my stuff is in a really good spot,” Bieber said following his latest rehab start. “To be frank, it has been in a great spot since I started throwing. I am very confident with the action of my pitches.”

From the sounds of things, Bieber is going to need only one or two more rehab starts before being ready to join the Blue Jays rotation. That rotation currently consists of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, and Eric Lauer. Here’s a quick look at how each has fared so far this season.

  • Gausman: 21 starts, 122.2 IP, 3.82 ERA
  • Berrios: 23 starts, 131.1 IP, 3.84 ERA
  • Bassitt: 22 starts, 123 IP, 4.24 ERA
  • Scherzer: 7 starts, 35 IP, 4.89 ERA
  • Lauer: 11 starts, 74 IP, 2.68 ERA

Based on just reputation, the pitcher who would be coming out of the rotation for Bieber is Lauer. That said, the 30-year-old has more than earned the right to remain given how well he has pitched so far this season.

Another candidate to come out would be Scherzer, though management may want to give him more of a look after he was forced to miss a large chunk of the season due to injury. This could instead result in a six-man rotation for the time being.

Meanwhile, Bowden Francis, who began the season in the starting rotation, remains on the 60-day IL with a shoulder injury, and a return remains unclear. His troublesome 6.05 ERA through 14 starts this season suggests that if able to return, it would be in a bullpen role.

Also worth mentioning is Alek Manoah, who is on track to return around mid-to-late August. That said, it’s hard to envision him finding his way into this loaded rotation given all the time he’s missed.

Though there are questions that remain regarding Bieber, his upside is enormous. If he can get back to being the same level of player he was prior to his Tommy John surgery, the Blue Jays will have made one heckuva deadline pick-up.

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