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Assessing the Blue Jays’ rotation after the recent injury updates to Bieber and Francis
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Photo credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Feb 12, 2026, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 12, 2026, 13:33 EST
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A week ago, the Blue Jays’ rotation appeared set, with multiple depth options available in the event of an injury.
That will now be put to the test, because the day before pitchers and catchers reported, two injuries were announced by the Blue Jays that will immediately test that depth.
Shane Bieber is battling forearm fatigue, a potential lingering issue from his extensive workload after returning from Tommy John surgery in the summer, and will likely start the year on the IL. Additionally, Bowden Francis recently underwent UCL reconstruction surgery, completely ruling him out for the 2026 season. 
Bieber is expected to make a return within the first half of the season, though he won’t be ready for Opening Day, meaning someone else will now have to fill the fifth spot of the rotation in the short term. Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, and Cody Ponce appear to all fit into the current starting plans for manager John Schneider, with Eric Lauer slated to be stretched out as a starter during Spring Training as additional depth.
Lauer, who recently lost his arbitration hearing, was fantastic in a swiss-army-knife role last season, making 15 starts and 13 appearances out of the bullpen, all to the tune of a 3.18 ERA. 
This move comes as somewhat of a surprise, with the Jays already possessing a veteran starter on their roster who has been a workhorse since he joined the club in 2021.
Jose Berrios ended 2025 on a very sour note, leaving the clubhouse during the World Series to rehab at home in Puerto Rico, but the right-hander has been a capable starter in the big leagues for his career.
The second half of the 2025 season was a struggle for Berrios, pitching to a 4.64 ERA in August, before being demoted to the bullpen in September. Shortly after, he would end up on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and was frustrated with the means in which management handled his workload. 
This morning, during his first media availability of Spring Training, Berrios spoke to the media and ‘apologized to his teammates for how 2025 ended,’ per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. He appears to be healthy and ready to compete in 2026, and the Blue Jays will require his services with the recent Bieber and Francis news.
Berrios has been as reliable as can be throughout his career, throwing over 165 innings each year since he joined the Jays at the 2021 trade deadline. He will be a formidable option as a fourth or fifth starter, filling in the hole left by Bieber to begin the season and then likely rounding out the rotation once he returns, with a decision needing to be made on the Puerto Rican product and Cody Ponce when it comes to who moves back to the bullpen. 
Jays still looking for pitching depth?
Yesterday, Chris Bassitt agreed to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, officially ruling out a return to the Jays in 2026. Bassitt was another dependable arm that the team could rely on every five days to provide quality innings and length.
Should the team look to the free agent market to fill out their rotation, they may be intrigued by the possibility of a Max Scherzer return, who was solid both in the clubhouse and during the 2025 playoff run. 
Scherzer, now 41 years old, has said he is willing to wait until after Opening Day to sign with a team, and it appears increasingly likely the Blue Jays could be a realistic option. Injuries and poor performance are inevitable, and no team can ever have too much pitching depth, making Scherzer an ideal insurance policy should another starter go down during Spring Training. It remains to be seen how Ponce prepares for his first Major League season since he last pitched for the Pirates in 2021, and how Trey Yesavage’s workload will be managed after throwing the most innings of his life in 2025. 
General Manager Ross Atkins has stated multiple times throughout the offseason that external additions would diminish playing time for Major League-calibre pieces already in the organization, making it likely that the team will steer clear of the free agent market for the time being.
Ricky Tiedemann is a name to watch this Spring and could become a starting option in the not-so-distant future, as well as Gage Stanifer, who impressed many in his third year of professional baseball a season ago. Adam Macko is also in the mix for some big league playing time in 2026. 
Some unfortunate news at the commencement of Spring Training has put the Jays in a difficult position, testing their starting pitching depth already. Whether it’s Berrios or Lauer, the Jays have options to fill out their Opening Day rotation, though another injury or two could put them in a desperate situation, and we could see a late Spring addition via trade or free agency – a classic Blue Jays approach. 

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