If all goes well, Shane Bieber will likely slide into Max Scherzer’s now vacated rotation spot when the Toronto Blue Jays return home next week.

The 31-year-old Bieber, who threw five-plus innings and 80 pitches in what was probably his final Triple-A rehab start on Wednesday, is scheduled to rejoin the club this weekend in Chicago, manager John Schneider revealed. The plan is to have him throw a bullpen session at Wrigley Field, and they’ll determine what comes next from there.

Schneider added that Bieber is stretched out enough that he shouldn’t require any further building up in Buffalo, as MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson relayed. With Max Scherzer landing back on the 15-day injured list ahead of Wednesday’s contest in Boston, there’s now a rotation spot up for grabs again.

By all accounts, it appears Bieber is the most likely candidate to fill Scherzer’s vacated job, especially since both hurlers were lined up on the same schedule before the 41-year-old hurler returned to the IL with back spasms.

Scherzer’s next turn, had he been available for Wednesday’s matchup against the Red Sox, would’ve come around during Monday’s series opener versus the Houston Astros — a game that, in all likelihood, will now mark Bieber’s return and 2026 season debut.

The rehabbing right-hander hasn’t faced major-league hitters since Game 7 of last fall’s World Series. But he has now completed five rehab starts, including three at Triple-A, since beginning this season on the IL with right elbow/forearm inflammation.

His results with the Bisons were somewhat of a mixed bag, as he tossed five shutout innings with four strikeouts on June 11 before struggling with his command in Wednesday’s outing, during which he surrendered five runs on seven hits and four walks while only striking out two batters. More encouraging, though, is that his velocity sat right around where it usually does, with his four-seamer averaging 91.8 m.p.h. and topping out at 93.

If Bieber can help stabilize the Blue Jays’ rotation, which, for the moment, is down to four healthy starters again, it should signal the end of any more bullpen games moving forward — barring any other injuries, of course.

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