The Toronto Blue Jays have a lot of depth in their starting rotation, so Shane Bieber’s absence shouldn’t be detrimental. The organization knows he will provide a boost when he returns, but he won’t be there for the season opener.
However, Blue Jays fans may now have a timeline on when he could possibly return. According to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Bieber’s return will be in May at the earliest.
“You have to treat (Yimi) García and Bieber as if they essentially started spring training this week (maybe later for Bieber),” Bannon wrote on Monday. “García, as a reliever, can likely ramp up quicker, so he may be available a couple of weeks into the regular season. Bieber seems further behind, and I would be surprised if we see him in April at this point. Realistically, these are two guys the Jays want healthy in September, not May. Unless the pitching staff falls apart early, the team will be very cautious.”
While the Blue Jays do want them to be healthy in September over May, the organization would prefer to get them back as soon as possible. Toronto is going to need as much depth as possible on all fronts in order to make a deep playoff run.
Assuming Bieber doesn’t have any setbacks, Bannon’s notation above about when they started spring training means that Bieber will likely need five to six weeks to fully ramp up just like all of the other starters. The team may be able to expedite that timeline slightly if Bieber’s recovery goes to plan.
Toronto’s starters will look to lock things down as Bieber’s recovery continues.
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