Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will undergo season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery, dealing a significant blow to the organization and the 2020 Cy Young winner.
Bieber, who missed several months last season due to elbow concerns, felt pain after an opening-day start in Oakland and again this week against Seattle. The right-hander had imaging testing, and multiple physicians recommended reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament.
The healing period following surgery can last up to 16 months.
“He’s devastated by it,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a Zoom conversation. “He feels as if he is disappointing a lot of people. “And I attempted to convince Shane that this couldn’t be further from the truth because he represents what it is to be a professional, a wonderful teammate, and a great leader.”
Bieber pitched 12 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts in his first two outings, battling elbow soreness. He and the team had anticipated things would slow down, but the discomfort only increased.
“He really put in a ton of work this winter and throughout spring training, and we all felt he was on a good path to stay healthy and contribute for the balance of the season,” Antonetti went on to say. “But ultimately, when he got back into games and faced the stress of the major league environment, it was just too much for him.”
According to Antonetti, Bieber decided to have surgery on Friday after returning to Cleveland this week for a checkup.
Bieber is approaching his final year of contract with the Guardians, who are 6-2 under first-year manager Stephen Vogt heading into Saturday’s game against Minnesota.
Antonetti stated that in the near future, Dr. Keith Meister will perform Bieber’s surgery in Dallas.
Bieber, 28, has a 62-32 record and a 3.22 ERA in 134 career starts for Cleveland. He topped the majors in wins, ERA, and strikeouts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Bieber’s injury is the most recent for Cleveland’s pitching staff. Trevor Stephan just underwent Tommy John surgery, and Gavin Williams has been out since spring training due to elbow pain but is expected to recover.
The Guardians hope to compete in the AL Central, and with Bieber no longer leading the staff, others will need to step up.
“It’s impossible to replace a pitcher, a teammate, and a leader like Shane Bieber, so I don’t think we have that expectation,” Antonetti told reporters. “Shane has been an excellent individual contributor, a fantastic leader, and a presence on our team that has influenced the development of others.” So I would not want to underestimate the loss.
“At the same time, we are a resilient group, and we have found ways to overcome obstacles and injuries in the past. 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.”
