After two dominant starts, Shane Bieber’s 2024 season is over. The pitcher will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming days.
The Guardians’ ace racked up a league-leading 20 strikeouts in his first two outings against Oakland and Seattle, and he didn’t allow a run in either start. But he didn’t bounce back physically as quickly as usual after the opening day masterpiece against the Athletics. The team discussed with Bieber the possibility of receiving an extra day off before his next start or increasing his salary. He opted to start as scheduled Tuesday, team president Chris Antonetti said, but his pain and inflammation only increased after the outing.
Bieber underwent tests on his right elbow and consultations with Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed that he needed reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament.
“Just the fact that Shane was able to go out and throw the games that he did,” Antonetti said, “especially that game in Seattle, is just a testament to his tenacity and how much he wanted to be there- low. More than anything, he wanted to continue pitching and contributing to the team. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to do that for a while.
Bieber missed two and a half months last season with elbow soreness, but returned late in the season for two starts. Over the winter, he showed no symptoms and trained at Driveline Baseball in Scottsdale, Ariz., to hone his mechanics and increase his velocity ahead of a contract year.
In his two starts, Bieber’s fastball improved (92.0 mph compared to 91.3 mph last year) and he showed off a new look. After an injury-plagued 2023 season, Bieber looked like the staff announcer who was a perennial Cy Young Award candidate (and unanimous winner in 2020).
Instead, he will likely enter free agency as an unknown, having missed significant time in 2021, 2023 and 2024 – plus 2025, since the recovery time from elbow surgery is typically a year or more.
The Guardians fielded trade offers for Bieber over the winter but chose to hang on to him, leading them to either rely on him to compete or oust him this summer. Now neither option is available.
The injury leaves the Guardians’ rotation in a precarious position. Gavin Williams is recovering from his own (less serious) elbow injury and is just weeks away from his return to the big league. Logan Allen will earn a day and start in Cleveland’s home opener on Monday. After that, the team sorts through their options.
Xzavion Curry and Ben Lively each began rehab assignments at Triple-A Columbus. Both are playing catch-up after missing time in spring training due to a virus. Tyler Beede has been a starter during spring training, but has worked in the Guardians bullpen so far.
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(Photo: D. Ross Cameron / USA Today)