John Schneider has revealed that Dylan Cease is close to a return to the Toronto Blue Jays' rotation after a successful rehab outing, as the right-hander recovered from a hamstring injury and rejoined the team ahead of their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
Cease built momentum on Thursday at Triple-A Buffalo, where he threw 75 pitches and completed four innings in his first rehab appearance. He allowed five runs, but he struck out six batters and finished the outing feeling strong, which the Blue Jays see as the most important outcome in his recovery process.
Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson reported that Cease returned to Toronto immediately after the outing and arrived with the team on Friday. Schneider told reporters that the club considered him “very likely” to rejoin the rotation early next week and also suggested that he might not need another minor league start before activation.
Toronto initially placed Cease on the injured list May 25 with a left hamstring strain. He first felt discomfort during a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 24, when he appeared to tighten up on the mound before briefly continuing the game. He later left the game after he was seen by the training staff and Schneider.
Before the injury, the right-hander established himself as one of Toronto’s most reliable starters in his first season with the club. He posted a 3.05 ERA across 11 starts and 62 innings, and he struck out 92 batters while walking 26. He also recorded a 1.21 WHIP, which reflected both his swing-and-miss ability and occasional traffic on the bases.
The Blue Jays were immediately concerned when Cease left the Pirates game, but early medical results and his progress through rehab eased that concern. His outing in Buffalo marked his first live game action since the injury, and the team focused on workload and health response rather than results.
Cease worked through his four innings in Buffalo with an elevated pitch count, and he showed his usual ability to miss bats despite allowing damage on a couple of home runs. The Blue Jays treated the outing as a step toward full readiness rather than a performance evaluation, since his recovery timeline remained the priority.
© Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Schneider said the team will continue to monitor Cease over the weekend before making a final decision on activation. The manager pointed to early next week as a realistic target, with Tuesday’s scheduled game against the Philadelphia Phillies standing out as a possible return date. Cease remains eligible to return from the injured list after spending the minimum required time away from the roster.
