The Toronto Blue Jays activated veteran right-hander Shane Bieber from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and he will make his season debut Tuesday night against the visiting Houston Astros.
Bieber, 31, has been sidelined all season due to elbow inflammation.
The former American League Cy Young Award winner was initially expected to start Monday against the Astros but was pushed back one day after Sunday’s rainout against the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Dylan Cease pitched Monday.
Bieber just completed a five-start rehab stint in which he went 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA across three levels.
“I got my pitch count up to 80, and I’m feeling great, so I’m looking forward to the next step,” Bieber told reporters.
Bieber was acquired last season by the Blue Jays from the Cleveland Guardians on July 31 and went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts. He didn’t pitch for Cleveland last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Bieber went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five postseason appearances (four starts) for Toronto last season. He took the loss in Game 7 of the World Series when he served up a homer to Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th inning.
In seven seasons with Cleveland, Bieber was an All-Star in 2019 and 2021, and he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020 after going 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA in 12 starts during a pandemic-shortened season.
In 143 career regular-season games (141 starts), Bieber has a 66-34 record with a 3.24 ERA.
Toronto also optioned right-hander Lazaro Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo and designated right-hander Hayden Juenger for assignment. Estrada had a 2.84 ERA in two appearances for the Blue Jays, while Juenger had a 13.50 ERA in two outings.
Blue Jays infielder Lenyn Sosa (right wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Class A Dunedin. Sosa was batting .188 with one homer and six RBIs in 28 games before sustaining the injury when hit by a pitch thrown by Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins on May 26. He went on the 10-day IL two days later, retroactive to May 27.
