One more injured starter is inching closer to returning to the Toronto Blue Jays lineup.
Right-hander Shane Bieber could start as early as Monday against the Houston Astros, manager John Schneider told reporters on Friday.
The Blue Jays won’t make any official announcements until after Bieber throws a bullpen session on Saturday in Chicago.
“All signs point towards he’ll be ready to go,” Schneider added.
Despite this, the 31-year-old told reporters Friday that he felt good both during and after the outing and liked how his stuff held.
Bieber is yet to make an appearance for the Blue Jays this season after he entered the year dealing with forearm fatigue and was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. He was acquired by Toronto at last season’s trade deadline as he completed his recovered from Tommy John surgery. Bieber made seven regular-season starts for the Blue Jays, striking out 37 and posting a 3.57 ERA over 40.1 innings.
The Blue Jays are slowly returning to full health after an injury-riddled start to the season, getting Alejandro Kirk and Dylan Cease back earlier this month.
Schneider also provided an update on injured reliever Yimi Garcia, telling reporters that the right-hander felt “a little bit sore” after his last rehab outing on Thursday.
Schneider added that soreness “comes with the territory with what he’s going through and coming back from. I don’t think it’s concerning yet, but we’ll see how the next one goes and go from there.”
Garcia is scheduled to pitch again for triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.
The 35-year-old hasn’t made an appearance for the Blue Jays this season after undergoing elbow surgery last September.