DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Tuesday brought a wave of bad news on the eve of Blue Jays camp, among it the forearm fatigue of Shane Bieber, who will be “delayed” ramping up this spring.
Wednesday’s good news? Bieber doesn’t sound worried. Not that Bieber is really capable of sounding worried with that calm, steady demeanor, but coming off his long rehab process from Tommy John surgery before being traded to the Blue Jays, this isn’t nearly as scary.
Bieber felt some of this fatigue through the offseason, and while he didn’t need to undergo a procedure and didn’t take a “step back," he and the Blue Jays are proceeding with a very cautious approach.
“The reality of the matter is that I came off of TJ right into a pennant race,” Bieber said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I pitched in the World Series and gave it everything I had, like everyone else did in here. Ultimately, I took my option and I wanted to be back here, my family wanted to be back here. In regard to [John Schneider's] comments yesterday and where I’m at, I was just advised to take a little time off and take it slow. These things take time.”
Bieber came to Toronto at the Trade Deadline last season and made three more starts in Triple-A to round out his rehab, then pitched 40 1/3 innings down the stretch for the Blue Jays. Add on 18 2/3 innings in the postseason, right up to Game 7 of the World Series, and you’ve got a couple of very high-stress months for Bieber. There was no easing in.
“In reality and in hindsight looking back, those were the most intense innings I’ve ever thrown, right?” Bieber said. “It all makes sense and I’m happy to have a plan going forward. I feel good right now.”
For now, Bieber is in his “long toss progression,” which means he’s throwing on flat ground. That eventually stretches out to longer distances, but the key moment in this -- like with any pitcher rehabbing from an injury during the season -- will be when Bieber gets back on a mound throwing at 100%.
Speaking over the past two days, both Schneider and Ross Atkins were asked about Bieber’s timeline. Understandably, neither wants to slap a hard date on this and bring unneeded expectations, but that magic date is always on Bieber’s mind, too.
“That’s what I ask all the time, because I want to know and have a date in mind,” Bieber said. “They do a good job of trying to keep me week-to-week, but ultimately I’m going to bed every night knowing that I feel good with my progression. We’re going to take it slow and be smart. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and we definitely know that coming off of last year. I know this group’s hungry and I’m extremely hungry. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
The Blue Jays have the depth to weather this in the short term, with Cody Ponce and José Berríos now sitting solidly in the fourth and fifth spots behind Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage. Eric Lauer, Gage Stanifer, Adam Macko, Lazaro Estrada and others represent the depth beyond that, but if the top five can stay healthy, that’s still a very talented group.
If the Blue Jays are calling this “week to week,” that’s how it should be treated. We don’t need to see major steps forward in the next few days, but by the midway point of camp, it would be encouraging to see Bieber progressing towards throwing off a mound.
This is about having Bieber at his best in October, not April, and both sides believe that Tuesday’s initial “bad news” just needs a little patience, nothing more.