Former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber to make his Blue Jays debut Friday in Miami

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The long-awaited and much-anticipated Blue Jays debut for former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber has officially been set in stone.

Fittingly, the right-hander will be on the mound for the first time as a Blue Jay at LoanDepot Park this Friday in the series opener against the host Miami Marlins.

In a way, the Jays have Bieber on loan following the team’s acquisition on trade deadline last month in a deal from the Cleveland Guardians.

Keep in mind Bieber has a player option for next season, which, if he decides to initiate, will make him a free agent by as early as this off-season.

For now, the Jays know Bieber’s start will be, hopefully, the first of many as baseball’s post-season approaches.

Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020. has not appeared on a big-league mound since April 2024 when he pitched for Cleveland.

He would undergo Tommy John Surgery on his elbow.

To acquire Bieber, the Jays dealt prospect Khal Stephen to the Guardians.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider dropped the Bieber news prior to Monday’s first pitch in Pittsburgh where the Jays began the first of a six-game road trip following a 4-2 homestand.

Curiously, Schneider would not tip his hand when it came to naming his starters for the second and third games of the Marlins series.

Interestingly, once Bieber is activated a corresponding move must be made.

When George Springer made his return Saturday following a concussion issue, the Jays optioned Joey Loperfido to Buffalo.

Like Springer, Bieber is the ultimate pro who has the potential to have an immediate impact.

Bieber has been trending well since his acquisition.

In his final rehab appearance, the 30-year-old pitched seven shutout innings, while recording four strikeouts and yielding six hits.

Now that the Bieber watch is over, it will be interesting to see how the Jays manage their starting rotation.

Jose Berrios has hit a rut and did not look good in Sunday’s start when the Texas Rangers avoided a sweep.

Eric Lauer has been the surprise story from a pitching perspective.

Assuming Bieber does well in his debut, the Jays’ three top pitchers include Bieber, Max Scherzer and Kevin Gausman, who started Monday night.

— Zicarelli