The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that right-hander Shane Bieber is being activated from the 60-day injured list. To make room on the active roster, righty Lazaro Estrada has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. A 40-man roster spot has been created by designating righty Hayden Juenger for assignment.
Bieber, 31, will make his season debut when he starts against the visiting Astros. He’s been out all year due to forearm and elbow fatigue. The former AL Cy Young Award winner returned from Tommy John surgery last August and, between his minor league rehab work and Toronto’s deep postseason run, wound up pitching 88 innings from mid-July through late October.
Bieber has made five rehab starts this year, though the results haven’t been pretty. In 17 innings, the veteran righty has been tagged for 13 earned runs on 27 hits (including four homers) and five walks with 14 strikeouts. His 91.8 mph average fastball during that rehab work is nearly a mile per hour shy of last year’s 92.6 mph average.
More to come.
