Toronto Blue Jays announce Shane Bieber's, Eric Lauer's next starts

Eric Lauer will start on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins in Toronto after skipping his turn on Friday for Shane Bieber's Blue Jays debut, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

Bieber will start on Friday against the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Even though he has achieved stellar results leading all Toronto starters with a 2.76 ERA and 17.5 strikeout minus walk rate, he was moved to the bullpen for a turn due to both his flexibility and the cachet of his rotation mates.

Lauer previously came out of the bullpen earlier this season for six appearances and has 14 total relief outings in his career.

The 30-year-old is the second-youngest member of the Blue Jays veteran rotation after Bieber (by three days).

Toronto manager John Schneider had initially told reporters that Lauer's move to the bullpen would not be permanent.

The fourth-year manager said to reporters Sunday that the Blue Jays rotations plans will be "a little bit flexible."

Lauer experienced an MLB resurgence at the perfect time for Toronto this season as Bowden Francis floundered and Max Scherzer missed time with lat and thumb soreness.

The left-hander pitched for Kia Tigers of the KBO down the stretch in 2024 after spending the season in the minors.

The Blue Jays signed Lauer to a minor-league contract in the off-season and he was called up from triple-A Buffalo on April 30.

Lauer last started Aug. 16 in a 14-2 win over the Texas Rangers, allowing one earned run and seven baserunners over five innings while striking out four. It stands to reason that he will get multiple innings of relief work between his previous outing and the Twins game Wednesday in order maintain his pitch count and avoid excessive rest.