The Cleveland Guardians have sprinted out to a 6-2 start on the 2024 campaign, and two of those wins were courtesy of excellent starts from their ace Shane Bieber. Unfortunately, the Guardians have been dealt some crushing news, as Bieber picked up an elbow injury his latest start, and it was revealed that he will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, cutting his season short after those two sterling starts.
Via Bob Nightengale:
“Brutal news for Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber. He will need to undergo Tommy John surgery and is out for the season.”
Bieber didn't have the greatest 2023 campaign by his lofty standards (6-6, 3.80 ERA, 107 K, 1.23 WHIP), but he looked wholly capable of putting together a Cy Young campaign over his first two outings of the year. Bieber coasted through six innings without giving up a run in each of his starts, striking out 11 Oakland Athletics and nine Seattle Mariners on the way to earning the win in both outings.
Instead, Bieber is now out for the rest of the year, meaning the Guardians will have to piece their starting rotation together behind him. Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee will have to step up and be at their dominant best moving forward, and Carlos Carrasco and Triston McKenzie will have to continue to play a supporting role behind the two new leaders of the starting rotation.
Shane Bieber's future with Guardians up in the air
The 2024 campaign was the final year in Bieber's contract, and with the team's future uncertain, all eyes were on the team's longtime ace to see how he would perform. Now, nobody really knows what is going to happen with him, and it has certainly cast a bit of a shadow over his impending free agency, with teams unlikely to be as willing to hand him a big deal now that he will be attempting to come back from a serious surgery.
Bieber had been involved in several trade rumors over the past few seasons, as his future with Cleveland was already murky. He won't be getting traded this year now, but whether he has pitched his final game with the Guardians is unknown. His free agent market will surely take a hit, which could incentivize the team to keep him in town instead of potentially losing him for nothing on the open market.
For now, Bieber will be focused on undergoing this surgery and beginning his lengthy rehab process, but there's no doubt this is a crushing development for all parties involved. Everyone will be curious to see what the future brings, but if this is how Bieber's time with the Guardians comes to an end, it will be a true shame. But the door is still open for him to return, especially if the remaining members of the rotation can pick up the slack and help the team build off of their strong start to the season.
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