Shane Bieber has been diligently keeping up with strength training while on the IL.
He hopes to play catch either tomorrow or the day after, the next real step in his recovery.
Bieber has been dealing with a shoulder issue, listed as right teres major inflammation, that has him projected to be out until at least Sept. 21.
Playing catch is an early but meaningful checkpoint. It signals the shoulder has calmed down enough to handle basic throwing again.
That timeline still leaves real distance between now and an actual return to the mound.
Bieber had been arguably Toronto's best starter before this injury hit, riding a stretch that included a near-perfect run through August.
Losing him right as he found that form was one of the tougher blows to Toronto's rotation this season.
Why every step matters for a stretched-thin staff
Toronto has patched together its rotation with bullpen games and reshuffled arms for weeks now, exactly the situation a healthy Bieber would ease.
Jameson Taillon is working through his own return timeline, and Trey Yesavage remains hopeful for a late-season comeback from knee surgery.
Adding Bieber's name to that group of potential returns gives Toronto real reason for optimism heading into the stretch run.
There's no guarantee playing catch this week leads smoothly into a bullpen session, then a rehab start, and eventually an activation.
Shoulder injuries in particular can move unpredictably, even when early signs look encouraging.
Still, staying diligent with strength work during downtime is exactly the kind of discipline that keeps a Sept. 21 target realistic instead of slipping.
Whether Bieber actually returns by that date, or the timeline shifts once he starts throwing again, should become clearer over the next week or two.
Do you think Shane Bieber makes his Sept. 21 target return for the Blue Jays?
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