Shane Bieber of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on from the dugout ahead of play against the Kansas City Royals in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre earlier this month in Toronto.Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Starting pitcher Shane Bieber, who won the 2020 American League Cy Young Award, is slated to make his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, manager John Schneider informed the assembled media before his team’s series with the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The Blue Jays will remain on the road and will take on the Miami Marlins on Friday.
“You can allow yourself to get pretty excited when you’re adding a guy of that calibre,” Schneider said. “Once you get to know him, he’s the definition of a pro. He fits right in with the guys that we have already in our rotation. He’s really, really smart. He understands what he’s good at and what he’s trying to do. He’s confident right now.”
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The Blue Jays acquired the 30-year-old right-hander from the Cleveland Guardians at the trade deadline on July 31 in exchange for minor league pitcher Khal Stephen.
Bieber has not pitched in the major leagues since April 2, 2024. He threw six scoreless innings against Seattle but reported right elbow discomfort after the game. Four days later, the Guardians announced that he would undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Bieber returned to the mound on May 31, 2025, with the Guardians’ rookie-ball affiliate in the Arizona Complex League. He has made seven starts for Cleveland and Toronto minor league squads, recording a 1.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, fanning 37 batters, while walking only two in 29 innings of work.
In seven seasons with Cleveland, Bieber owned a record of 62-32, with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He won the Cy Young Award in 2020, when the season was truncated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bieber posted an 8-1 record with a league-best 1.63 ERA. He struck out an MLB-best 122 batters in 77 1/3 innings.
Bieber is joining a strong rotation which currently features José Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt.