Injured Toronto Blue Jays starters Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber each made rehab starts on Sunday as they aim to work their way back to the club’s starting rotation.
Bieber allowed five earned runs in 2.1 innings while pitching against the Single-A Clearwater Threshers, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw 35 of his 49 pitches for strikes and allowed six hits with two strikeouts.
Scherzer fared much better for Triple-A Buffalo against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, going three scoreless innings. He threw 24 of his 41 pitches for strikes and punched out four with two walks and zero hits allowed.
Bieber has yet to pitch in the majors this season as he recovers from arm fatigue following his return from Tommy John surgery last year. He threw two innings in the Florida Complex League last Monday and did not allow a run.
Scherzer has made five starts and last pitched on April 24 against the Cleveland Guardians. He was placed on the injured list on April 27 with forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation.
Before going down, Scherzer had a 9.64 ERA having allowed 20 total earned runs in 18.2 innings. The future Hall-of-Famer returned to the Blue Jays on an incentive-laden, one-year, $3 million deal late in the off-season after helping the team reach the World Series last year.
Bieber was acquired by the Jays in a trade with Cleveland last July and went on to make seven starts down the stretch of the regular season, pitching to a 3.57 ERA. He also made five total appearances in the postseason.
Bieber is a veteran of eight big-league seasons with a lifetime ERA of 3.24 in 143 outings. He is a two-time All-Star and won the pitching triple crown in 2020 while also taking home the American League Cy Young award.
He opted into a $16 million player option to return to the Jays for 2026 and is scheduled to become a free agent after this season.
