Dylan Cease set for rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday
Dylan Cease cleared a bullpen and running work in Atlanta and is lined up for a Buffalo rehab start Thursday as Toronto staggers back multiple injured starters.
Toronto’s rotation shuffle moved one step closer to resolution as Dylan Cease finished bullpen and running work in Atlanta and lined up for a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.
Cease, working back from a mild left hamstring strain, was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 25. He threw a bullpen session in Atlanta on June 2 and also did running drills, a sign the Blue Jays are testing both the arm and the leg before sending him into game action with the Buffalo Bisons. MLB.com said Cease could make that rehab start June 4, and Sportsnet reported the same basic plan, with Cease expected to throw a rehab outing for Buffalo and potentially return to Toronto if everything goes smoothly.
The timing matters because Cease is only one piece of a broader ramp-up. Max Scherzer is scheduled to start Friday in Buffalo, giving the Bisons another high-profile rehab arm in the same week, while ESPN listed Scherzer as beginning a rehab assignment there on Sunday. That puts Buffalo at the center of the Blue Jays’ effort to rebuild the top of the staff without rushing anyone back.
Shane Bieber is also moving through the same pipeline. Sportsnet reported that Bieber will throw a bullpen Wednesday in Toronto before starting for Buffalo this weekend, with the organization hoping to build him up to about four innings. That puts three established starters on overlapping timelines, all funneling through Buffalo as Toronto tries to restore depth at the big-league level while keeping each pitcher on a controlled workload.
The sequence gives the Blue Jays a clear look at how close their rotation reinforcements are to game-ready status. Cease’s rehab start Thursday could be the quickest path back to the majors, especially if his hamstring responds well after the bullpen in Atlanta. For Buffalo, the assignment brings a stream of marquee names and immediate stakes, with each outing carrying direct implications for when Toronto can finally piece its rotation back together.
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