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Shane Bieber needs Tommy John surgery. Here's what it means for the Guardians
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- Shane Bieber needs Tommy John surgery. Here's what it means for the Guardians
And just like that, Shane Bieber might have thrown his last pitch as a member of the Guardians .
Bieber is slated to undergo Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The surgery will likely take place within the next few days. No direct timetable has been set for Bieber's return to the mound, but the normal recovery for this procedure, a common one for pitchers, is roughly 12-16 months.
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Bieber was off to a near perfect start to the 2024 season , throwing 12 scoreless innings and striking out 20 batters in two starts. His velocity was up , his curveball was sharper, and in large part he seemed to have regained much of his 2020 Cy Young form. Bieber had worked with Driveline this offseason to regain some power, and it seemed like he might be primed for a strong season.
But while he had no symptoms this spring, Bieber had been experiencing an unusual amount of discomfort after his starts once the season began. The Guardians worked with him to increase treatments and discussed a variety of options between his two outings. Bieber wanted to continue pitching, but the point was reached after his second start that the discomfort continued to worsen, and imaging and further analysis of his right elbow was needed.
Evaluations from multiple physicians confirmed the diagnosis, and considering the recurrence of symptoms after an extended period of rest during and after the 2023 season and offseason, surgical reconstruction of his UCL was recommended. Bieber made the decision to follow those recommendations Friday night in Cleveland .
"I think, first and foremost, we feel for Shane," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "Shane has done everything possible in his power to try to get back and pitch and help our team, and those efforts extended back to last year and the work he put into the rehab process. He really put in a lot of work this winter and throughout spring training, and we all felt like he was on a good path to stay healthy and contribute for the balance of the season.
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"He's devastated by it. He feels as though he is letting a lot of people down. And I tried to reassure Shane that couldn't be further from the truth, because he embodies what it means to be a professional, what it means to be a great teammate and a great leader."
Shane Bieber contract situation is more unclear than ever after Tommy John diagnosis
The Guardians announced that RHP Shane Bieber will need UCL reconstruction surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season.
This complicates what was already a murky situation regarding Bieber and his future with the Guardians . Bieber is in his last year of club control, and he certainly won't be throwing another pitch this season. This winter, he'll have options as to where he continues his rehab and for which team he eventually pitches once he's recovered. That is, of course, barring the type of contract extension that hasn't yet occurred between him and the team.
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The injury will further test the Guardians' pitching depth . Gavin Williams also opened the season on the injured list with elbow discomfort, which in turn opened the door for Carlos Carrasco to make the Opening Day roster and fill a spot in the starting rotation. With Bieber out for the year, Carrasco will have an extended opportunity to keep that spot.
Tyler Beede also made the Opening Day roster out of spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, and is currently in the bullpen. Xzavion Curry and Ben Lively opened the season on the IL because of illness. All could be options, at some point, to fill the rotational spot left by Bieber's absence. The team is still working through if one pitcher will step into that role in the short term, or if they'll use a variety of options for a while. Antonetti noted that Hunter Gaddis will likely remain in the bullpen.
Either way, though, replacing Bieber's spot isn't an easy situation to handle for a team that was already needing to avoid injuries in its bid to unseat the Minnesota Twins as division champs. Now, much of this season is about whether the Guardians can overcome such a key loss so early in the year.
"Obviously, it's impossible to replace a pitcher and a teammate and a leader like Shane Bieber, so I don't think we have that expectation," Antonetti said. "Shane has been an incredible individual contributor and a great leader and presence on our team that has impacted the development of other people. So I wouldn't want to minimize the loss.
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"At the same time, we are a resilient group and we found ways to overcome obstacles and injuries in the past, and I believe that the group that we have will be able to come together and find a way to help us continue to win games. But it certainly will be harder to do without the health of Shane Bieber."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians Shane Bieber Tommy John surgery implications
