Blue Jays place Shane Bieber on injured list as rotation takes another hit

The Toronto Blue Jays will be without Shane Bieber during a critical stretch of their playoff push after placing the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his teres major.

Toronto recalled right-hander Chad Dallas on Tuesday to fill Bieber’s spot on the active roster, adding another adjustment to a pitching staff already dealing with several injuries with only five weeks remaining in the regular season.

Bieber had been scheduled to start Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals, but experienced discomfort while throwing a bullpen session Sunday in New York. An MRI later revealed inflammation in the muscle connecting the shoulder blade to the upper arm.

While the timing creates uncertainty over whether Bieber will pitch again during the regular season, the Blue Jays have not ruled out a return.

“It sucks for him [and] sucks for us,” manager John Schneider said. “He’ll be down from throwing for a couple weeks probably and go from there.”

Bieber faces a race against the calendar

The immediate challenge for Bieber is not simply allowing the inflammation to settle.

If he is unable to throw for approximately two weeks, the 31-year-old would still need time to rebuild his workload before returning to a major-league rotation. With just 30 games remaining entering Tuesday, that could push a potential return toward the final days of the regular season or, should Toronto qualify, the postseason.

It is another interruption in a season already affected by injury.

Bieber began the year on the injured list because of right elbow inflammation and missed 78 games before making his season debut on June 23.

Since returning, the former Cy Young Award winner has made 11 starts for Toronto, posting a 4.53 ERA across 55.2 innings. He has recorded 44 strikeouts and issued 24 walks.

His latest absence comes at an especially difficult point for the Blue Jays, who entered Tuesday two games behind the final American League Wild Card position.

Toronto now faces the final month of the schedule without knowing whether one of the most experienced arms in its rotation will be available again.

Blue Jays forced to adjust rotation against Royals

With Bieber no longer available for Wednesday’s scheduled start, Toronto is expected to piece together the game through its bullpen, with Simeon Woods Richardson among the pitchers who could provide multiple innings.

Spencer Arrighetti is then scheduled to take the mound Thursday in the series finale against Kansas City. His workload will likely remain limited after throwing 61 pitches during his previous appearance in New York, with approximately 75 pitches expected to be his ceiling.

There could soon be reinforcement elsewhere.

Jameson Taillon is scheduled to make a Triple-A rehab appearance Friday and throw approximately 50 pitches. A successful outing could put the right-hander in position to rejoin Toronto during its upcoming road series in Cleveland.

Until then, however, the Blue Jays will have to navigate significant uncertainty within both their rotation and bullpen.

Bieber joins a pitching injury list that has also included Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce and José Berríos. Yesavage has resumed throwing on flat ground following a meniscus clean-up, but Toronto continues to operate without several of the arms it expected to rely upon this season.

That places additional responsibility on Dylan Cease, José Soriano and Max Scherzer to provide consistent innings during the final stretch.

Toronto running out of room in Wild Card chase

The timing of Bieber’s injury adds another obstacle to a Blue Jays team trying to make up ground rather than protect a playoff position.

Toronto entered Tuesday two games behind the American League’s final Wild Card spot with 30 games remaining.

At minimum, the Blue Jays would need to finish 17-13 simply to reach a .500 record, making every series increasingly important as September approaches.

Their ability to stay in the race could now depend on contributions from pitchers who were not necessarily expected to carry significant roles entering the season.

For Bieber, meanwhile, the focus shifts toward recovery and determining whether enough time remains to pitch again in 2026.

He is also approaching another important point in his career. Bieber is scheduled to become a free agent following the season and has previously expressed his enjoyment of pitching in Toronto.

For now, however, both Bieber and the Blue Jays face a more immediate concern: getting the right-hander healthy while Toronto attempts to keep its postseason hopes alive without him.