The Toronto Blue Jays have officially activated right-hander Shane Bieber and sent righty Lazaro Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move, it was announced Tuesday.
Right-hander Hayden Juenger was also designated for assignment to make room for Bieber on the 40-player roster.
Bieber was originally slated to return Monday, but a rainout in Chicago on Sunday pushed Dylan Cease back a day and bumped Bieber to Tuesday. Cease was solid in the opener against the Houston Astros, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs.
Bieber has yet to pitch in MLB in 2026 due to right elbow inflammation that delayed his start to the season. He was acquired by the Blue Jays last summer while recovering from Tommy John surgery and made seven starts down the stretch of the regular season, pitching to a 3.57 ERA. Bieber made an additional five appearances in the postseason as the Blue Jays fell in Game 7 of the World Series.
He has made five rehab starts across three different minor-league levels this season. While he pitched to a 6.88 ERA, the Jays seem encouraged enough by his results to bring him back to their depleted starting-five.
The 31-year-old is one of several Blue Jay starters to land on the injured list this season, joining Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios.
Bieber is a two-time All-Star and the winner of the 2020 pitching triple crown while with Cleveland in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, leading the league in wins (eight), ERA (1.63) and strikeouts (122).
The Orange, Calif., native is an eight-year MLB veteran with a career 3.24 ERA.
Juenger, 25, has appeared in two games for the Jays at the big-league level this season and has allowed three earned runs. He owns a 2.59 ERA in 21 games at Triple-A Buffalo this season.
Estrada allowed two earned runs in 2.1 innings Saturday in Chicago against the Cubs. He has a 2.84 ERA in two games at the MLB level this season and a 4.40 ERA in six minor-league outings.
