Blue Jays Make Shane Bieber Announcement Before Cubs Game
He's finally back.
Prior to their game against the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Saturday that right-hander Shane Bieber will come off the injured list to start on Monday against the Houston Astros.
Shane Bieber will be activated from the IL to start for the Blue Jays on Monday vs Houston
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) June 20, 2026
Bieber will be making his first start of the season and 2026 debut after dealing with right elbow inflammation since spring training.
Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2024, which knocked him out until the end of the 2025 season. The Cleveland Guardians traded him to the Blue Jays at last summer's trade deadline and he debuted for Toronto in August.
The 31-year-old went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and .225 batting average against him across seven starts down the stretch for the Blue Jays last year.
In the postseason, Bieber made five appearances and four starts, going 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings. Bieber helped the Blue Jays make it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before they ultimately fell in extra innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays' starting rotation has been ravaged by injuries this season, so getting Bieber back will provide a major boost to the unit.
Toronto is currently without starters' Jose Berrios (Tommy John surgery) and Cody Ponce (torn ACL) for the rest of the season. Max Scherzer just landed back on the IL with back spasms as well.
With the return of Bieber, the Blue Jays will finally have a full starting rotation again. Their current rotation features Dylan Cease, Patrick Corbin, Trey Yesavage and Kevin Gausman.
The Blue Jays will hope that they are getting the version of Bieber that they saw down the stretch of last season.
Bieber is a two-time All-Star and won the 2020 American League Cy Young award. He holds a career ERA of 3.24 across eight seasons in the big-leagues.
The Blue Jays are currently 37-39, but just one game back of the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 10:33 AM.