Shane Bieber injury: Blue Jays starter lands on IL as Toronto clings to playoff hopes

The Toronto Blue Jays‘ rotation took another hit, as the club on Tuesday placed veteran right-hander Shane Bieber on the 15-day injured list with inflammation of the teres major muscle in his throwing shoulder. Right-hander Chad Dallas has been recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. 

Manager John Schneider said Tuesday that Bieber will not throw for “a couple weeks,” but is hopeful he can return this season.

While Bieber has overall this season not put up strong numbers, he’d been much better in recent starts. 

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His start to the current season was delayed until late June because of elbow inflammation. Bieber, a 31-year-old former Cy Young winner and a pending free agent, was a key part of the Blue Jays’ run to the pennant last season after he was acquired in a 2025 deadline deal with the Guardians. 

A big part of the Jays’ disappointing 2026 season to date has been injuries and upheavals in the rotation. While marquee free-agent addition Dylan Cease has been a certifiable ace and American League Cy Young contender, the mix behind him has been compromised by health problems and ineffectiveness. Overall, the Jays have given starts to 18 different pitchers, not counting openers. Jays starting pitchers other than Cease have combined for an ERA of 4.87 on the season. As well, Toronto this season hasn’t gotten any innings from José Berríos and Bowden Francis, who are recovering from Tommy John surgery. Preseason American League Rookie of the Year candidate Trey Yesavage has been limited to 93 ⅔ innings thus far. Right now, the Jays have four healthy starters and seven on the IL, counting Bieber. 

Despite being 64-68 with a -55 run differential going into Tuesday night’s slate, the Jays at the same time are just two games out of the third and final wild-card spot in the AL. The .500 Guardians hold that spot at the moment, but five teams, including Toronto, are within no more than three games of them. SportsLine gives the Blue Jays 18.4% odds of making the postseason. While the bar for contention the AL is obviously low, the loss of the increasingly effective Bieber is a serious blow to the Jays, especially in light of their preexisting rotation issues.