Shane Bieber made two brilliant starts before his 2024 season ended practically before it got going.
Now, the Cleveland Guardians are awaiting the return of their ace from Tommy John surgery.
Bieber went under the knife on April 12, 2024, meaning he’s less than a year removed from the injury. He won’t make it back for Opening Day, but Cleveland expects him to be a big contributor in 2025, according to The Athletic.
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The 2020 AL Cy Young winner was actually a free agent after the season, but he re-signed with the Guardians on a one-year, $10 million deal that also includes a $16 million player option for 2026.
It’s been an injury-plagued run for Bieber, who returned to his established team in the hopes of building his way back up in a comfortable environment.
Bieber had a shoulder strain in 2021, elbow issues in 2023 and then the UCL injury after 12 scoreless innings in 2024.
It’s tough for Bieber to be patient, he told The Athletic.
“I’m always going to push,” he said.
Bieber, though, isn’t in a rush to tell reporters when he’ll return to a big-league mound. He has said “midseason,” but that’s all.
Last summer, Bieber learned from then-teammate Matt Boyd, who had also come back from elbow surgery.
Now, Bieber and the Guardians await the day he can return to an MLB mound.
“Don’t want to jinx anything,” Bieber told The Athletic, “but at the same time, very confident in my progression.”
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