Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow), who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw his fifth bullpen session of camp on Tuesday and has progressed to throwing five days a week in addition to extending his throwing distance out to 135 feet. Bieber is making good progress and is on schedule in his recovery from TJ surgery, but he's still not expected to return to Cleveland's starting rotation until around midseason, barring any setbacks. Because the 29-year-old could miss half of the season, he'll be a complete wild card in fantasy and could struggle to regain his pinpoint control and command upon his return. Bieber looked good in two starts last year before being shut down, but before that, his velocity and strikeouts were trending in the wrong direction for fantasy managers. He's not in RotoBaller's top-100 starting pitcher rankings in 2025.
Shane Bieber To Start Mound Progression In Mid-February
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) continues to recover from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April of last year at the team's spring training complex in Arizona. He has been able to progress his throwing to five days per week and his throwing distance out to 120 feet. Bieber will initiate his mound progression in mid-February. Because of the timing of the 29-year-old's surgery, he's not expected to be able to rejoin Cleveland's starting rotation in 2025 until around midseason. He was also dealing with elbow concerns in 2023, so hopefully he'll be able to put his arm issues behind him and be productive for the Cleveland rotation in the second half of the year. But the fact that Bieber will miss at least half the season puts him outside the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers this spring. Even before his injury, Bieber's velocity and strikeout numbers were trending in the wrong direction.
Shane Bieber Not Expected To Rejoin Rotation Until Midway Through The Season
According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) is not expected to rejoin the starting rotation until midway through the season. Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last April after making just two starts. During this short stint, the 29-year-old struck out 20 batters in 20 innings and did not allow a run. Earlier in December, it was reported that Bieber began throwing from 90 feet. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status during the first half of the season. While sidelined, Tanner Bibee will operate as the ace of the staff, as he did through almost all of the 2024 campaign. In addition, with Bieber sidelined, Luis L. Ortiz, Triston McKenzie, and Slade Cecconi will compete for the final spot in the rotation.
According to Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) is throwing from 90 feet three times per week. Withers noted that Bieber expressed that he is confident but still has "a long way to go." Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last April and was only able to make two starts last season. Across these 12 frames, the former Cy Young winner held a perfect 0.00 ERA with a stellar 0.92 WHIP. During the 2023 campaign, the right-hander posted a 3.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. While this is a great sign to see him progress in his throwing program, fantasy managers should not expect him to return to the major league mound at least a few months into the 2025 campaign. However, if he continues to progress without facing any setbacks, he could be worth targeting in deeper formats as a high-upside stash candidate.
Shane Bieber Returning To Cleveland On One-Year Deal
Free-agent right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) and the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal on Friday that includes a $16 million player option for the 2026 season, according to sources. Bieber has chosen to return on a one-year pact after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. He isn't expected to return until the middle of 2025, so it makes sense for him to return to the Guardians to try and boost his value once again before potentially hitting the open market again next offseason. The two-time All-Star and former American League Cy Young (2020) only made two starts in 2024 before going under the knife, but he was dominant with 20 strikeouts over 12 shutout innings. Bieber has been excellent in the past, but fantasy managers would be foolish to assume he'll suddenly regain velocity and whiffs in his return from TJ surgery in 2025. He'll be a risk/reward fantasy starter on the cheap.
Shane Bieber Needs Season-Ending Tommy John Surgery
Right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) and the Cleveland Guardians were dealt a brutal blow on Saturday after announcing that Bieber will need Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow (UCL). Bieber had been off to a very strong start to the 2024 season, dominating in his first two appearances and looking like one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Now surgery is being recommended to deal with his recurring issues. Bieber was placed on the injured list last season with forearm irritation on the same arm and was experiencing a recurrence of pain this season as well after each of his first two starts. Bieber will miss the rest of the 2024 season, and fantasy baseball managers will need to hit the waiver wire this weekend to find a replacement pitcher.
Shane Bieber Turns In Another Stellar Start Tuesday
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber continued his hot start in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Mariners. The 28-year-old improved to 2-0, tossing six scoreless innings with six hits, no walks, and nine strikeouts. Bieber has rebounded nicely in 2024 after a lackluster 2023 and has yet to allow a run with an impressive 20 strikeouts through his first two starts. He should have plenty of opportunity to put up another big strikeout total in his next projected start against the White Sox.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber was dominant in his Opening Day victory against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Yes, it was the Oakland A's lineup, but Bieber was straight up filthy over six innings. In his quality start, he allowed four hits, zero runs, one walk and struck out 11 on the evening. Bieber was great this spring in the Cactus League and that carried over last night. Bieber is still just 28, but has a lot of mileage on his arm. Managers shouldn't expect this type of dominance every start, but he is off to a good start and will look to keep it going versus a much tougher Seattle Mariners lineup on the road.
Right-hander Shane Bieber has officially been named the Cleveland Guardians' Opening Day starter on March 28 against the Oakland Athletics on the road. It will be Bieber's fifth straight Opening Day start for Cleveland. The 28-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2016 out of Santa Barbara is a two-time All-Star and former American League Cy Young winner in 2020, so it shouldn't be surprising that he's getting another Opening Day nod. It's a fantastic matchup, too, so he should be in all fantasy starting lineups in single-year leagues. Bieber dealt with elbow issues last year and made only 21 starts, finishing with the second-highest ERA of his career at 3.80 (3.87 FIP). There were a lot of worrying trends from Bieber last year, and although he should no longer be considered a fantasy ace, with better health he should be able to be a solid No. 3 fantasy starter in a weak division.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber is scheduled to make his spring training debut on Saturday in a Cactus League matchup with the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander was the subject of some trade speculation last season and into the offseason but has ultimately remained with the Guardians. It was a down season by his standards in the 2023 campaign as the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner posted a 3.80 ERA, well above his 3.27 career mark, in an injury-shortened 21 starts. However, a major dip in strikeout rate to just 20.1%, well below his 27.8% career mark and half of the 41.1% clip he posted in 2020, was most crushing to fantasy managers. Given his excellent control and run-prevention ability, Bieber is still a solid fantasy asset.
Shane Bieber
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Guardians
