Blue Jays Add Another Arm to Injury Report

The Toronto Blue Jays announced a significant roster move ahead of their home series against the Kansas City Royals, placing veteran right-hander Shane Bieber on the 15-day injured list with right teres major inflammation. The placement is retroactive to Aug. 21, as announced by the franchise on X. Right-hander Chad Dallas has been recalled from Triple-A to fill Bieber's roster spot and will be active for Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Bieber, 31, had been a key piece of the rotation as the Blue Jays push toward a playoff berth. The move is the latest in a series of injury setbacks for the Toronto pitching staff, which also recently placed Tanner Andrews, a 30-year-old right-hander, on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Buffalo, as noted by MLB.com. Andrews, who has appeared in two games for the Blue Jays this season without allowing a run, has been a reliable depth option with a 5-0 record and a 2.05 ERA in 37 Triple-A games.

Bieber's Season and Injury History

Bieber, 31, has had an up-and-down season. He entered the year on the injured list with right elbow inflammation before being reinstated on June 23. Overall, he has posted a 4.37 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings across 11 outings this season. However, a conflicting account from another report lists his season ERA as 4.53. In August, Bieber appeared to be rounding into form, posting a 2.96 ERA in four starts.

His last start came against the Tampa Bay Rays last Thursday, when he fired seven scoreless innings. In his previous outing on Aug. 14, he allowed just one run over six innings against the New York Yankees.

Bieber has a history of elbow issues; he was acquired by Toronto from the Cleveland Guardians at the 2025 trade deadline for right-hander Khal Stephen. He was injured at the time and was activated in late August of last season. After helpfulning the Blue Jays to the American League pennant, he exercised his $16 million player option for the 2026 season, making him a free agent at the end of this year.

What the Move Means for the Rotation

With Bieber out, Chad Dallas steps into the roster. Dallas has been a dependable swingman at Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons, starting 12 of 21 games and posting a 3.34 ERA in 62 innings. However, his major-league stint earlier this season was rocky; he allowed an 8.22 ERA in 7.2 innings, with six walks and six strikeouts. He will need to regain his command if he is to fill the void left by Bieber, according to analysis in Sports Illustrated, which described the injury as a "huge blow" to a team that was finally starting to show signs of life after a slow start.

The Blue Jays enter the series trailing the Cleveland Guardians — Bieber's former team — by two games for the final AL Wild Card spot, with 30 games left in the season. As reported by both outlets, the team has closed the gap on a below .500 record and the wild-card race, and the schedule appears favorable: TSN writes that Toronto has just one game remaining against a team above .500. After wrapping up a split series with the Yankees, the Blue Jays will face the Royals starting Tuesday, with an off day Monday.