Nine up, nine down, with four strikeouts 🥵 Shane Bieber is dialled in 🔥
Shane Bieber had his moments but 2026 was largely derailed by injuries
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 23, 2026, 18:24 EDT
In a season mired by injuries, Shane Bieber was one of the Toronto Blue Jays who was hit the hardest.
After opting into his $16-million player option following the World Series, Bieber was expected to solidify a role behind Kevin Gausman, and ultimately behind Dylan Cease following his signing.
How the year went
On February 10, in one of the first days of spring training, manager John Schneider announced while speaking to the media that Bieber would be delayed to begin camp, due to right forearm inflammation that had been bugging him since the 2025 World Series.
While this news was unfortunate, it wasn’t totally shocking as Bieber spent much of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery, so a little bit of wear and tear can be expected, especially following 59 innings pitched from August 22 on.
After not pitching all spring, Bieber was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25 with right elbow inflammation. Outside of being shifted from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on April 13, everything remained very quiet on Bieber’s return to play progression.
Finally, on May 25, Bieber made his first rehab appearance of the year in the FCL. Bieber made a second one with Single-A Dunedin, before he was transferred to Triple-A Buffalo on June 6.
After three rehab outings with the Bisons, Bieber was activated from the 60-day IL on June 23 for a start against the Houston Astros. The 31-year-old turned in a pitching line of 3.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, in what was his first appearance with the Blue Jays since Game 7 of the World Series.
Bieber struggled to get going over his next two starts, but in his first outing following the All-Star break on July 18 against the Chicago White Sox, the right-hander found his old form. Bieber tossed six scoreless innings, striking out six, and picked up his first win of the 2026 season.
After flashing dominance, Bieber followed that up in his next start on July 23 by limiting the Tampa Bay Rays to one run across seven innings, while striking out three. On the verge of being swept, Bieber kept the Rays in check to power the Blue Jays to a 3-1 victory.
Following that start, trade rumours swirled due to Bieber’s impending free agent status. Unfortunately, Bieber imploded in his final start before the trade deadline on July 28 against the Washington Nationals. Bieber failed to make it out of the first inning and allowed four earned runs, which raised his ERA to 5.74, and ultimately stayed in Toronto for the rest of 2026.
As soon as the calendar flipped to August, Bieber became one of the major reasons the Blue Jays found themselves in the American League Wild Card race. Across four starts, Bieber went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
As was the theme with much of the 2026 season, Bieber suffered an injury after his start against the Rays on August 20. Bieber was diagnosed with right teres major inflammation and ended up being placed on the 15-day IL on August 24, ultimately ending his season.
As he heads for free agency, Bieber finishes the 2026 season by making 11 starts and going 5-2 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Bieber struck out 44 batters across 55.2 innings and was hit at a .253 clip.
Select highlights
Shane Bieber, Filthy 85mph Slider. 😷
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