The Toronto Blue Jays starter will begin a rehab assignment on Monday in the Florida Complex League, manager John Schneider told reporters Friday.
Bieber is scheduled to throw two innings Monday, then build up his volume from there.
The 30-year-old right-hander has not pitched in any game action this season after entering training camp with arm fatigue.
Bieber underwent an MRI during the off-season that showed “nothing was wrong, just forearm fatigue,” Schneider said. He returned from Tommy John surgery last August and helped the Blue Jays reach the World Series.
The 30-year-old right-hander ended up making seven regular-season starts for Toronto, throwing 40.1 innings while striking out 37 and posting a 3.57 ERA.
With Jose Berrios and Cody Ponce both out for the season, Bieber’s eventual return would provide a huge boost to Toronto’s depleted starting pitching depth.
The Blue Jays bullpen could also get a boost in the coming weeks, as reliever Yimi Garcia threw a two-inning bullpen of around 30 pitches on Friday.
Garcia’s goal will be to face live hitters by next week, per Schneider.
In more good news for the Jays, injured catcher Alejandro Kirk will be in Toronto this weekend to check in with Blue Jays staff and ramp up his hitting progression.
He will begin hitting off machines, then live pitchers, before finally progressing to minor-league games. If all goes according to plan, Schneider said Kirk could begin a rehab assignment late next week.
The two-time all-star fractured his catching thumb just five games into the season, with Schneider saying that he’d miss at least six weeks.
Kirk has been regularly catching bullpens and live batting practices while rehabbing in Dunedin and is ready to catch in games, Schneider said.