TORONTO — Shane Bieber is hitting the injured list, Chad Dallas has been recalled, and once again, the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching plans are in flux.
Bieber was slated to start against the Royals on Wednesday, but he evidently experienced soreness after his latest outing against the Rays, leading to his placement on the 15-day IL with right teres major inflammation, retroactive to Aug. 21.
The teres major muscles connect the shoulder blades to the upper arm bones.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Toronto's game on Tuesday night, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Bieber experienced some discomfort while throwing his bullpen on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Bieber had an MRI in Toronto that night, which revealed a "mild-to-moderate" teres major injury, and he'll now be down from throwing for two weeks.
Regarding Bieber's return timeline, Schneider added that the Blue Jays "don't have a timeframe yet, but (are) definitely hopeful he'll be back."
As for who starts Wednesday, the Blue Jays will turn to the bullpen, where Dallas and Simeon Woods Richardson could see extended runs. Additionally, the team hopes that Jameson Taillon (right forearm tendinitis) can rejoin the rotation after one more rehab start.
The injury to Bieber means the Blue Jays are navigating uncertainty in two of their five rotation spots. Spencer Arrighetti is slated to pitch in some capacity on Thursday, but he threw just 61 pitches in his last appearance, likely capping him at around 75 for his upcoming outing.
Given the injuries to Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios and others, the Blue Jays need remaining starters Dylan Cease, Jose Soriano and Max Scherzer to continue providing steady innings down the stretch.
With 30 games remaining on the schedule, the Blue Jays are two games behind the final American League wild-card spot entering play Tuesday. It’s a deficit that can be overcome with a strong finish, but the Blue Jays will need to go at least 17-13 to finish the season with a .500 record.
Surpassing .500 with so many pitching injuries will likely require some unexpected contributors to step up over the course of the season’s final month.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Sportsnet Staff
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