Shane Bieber has looked electric this season. 2024 was shaping up to be the season in which the Cleveland Guardians ace returned to his dominant, Cy Young-winning self. However, fortunes can turn quickly. The Guardians announced on Saturday that Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the 2024 campaign. Bieber is not expected to return until at least halfway through next season.
Shane Bieber needs elbow surgery.
He had pain after his Opening Day start that continued through his outing in Seattle. Imaging revealed an injury to the same ligament that gave him trouble last year. Surgery was determined to be the best path forward this time.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 6, 2024
Shane Bieber to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
The injury news comes after Bieber missed almost three months in 2023 with inflammation in his right elbow. Per Mandy Bell, the Guardians beat reporter for MLB, Bieber experienced discomfort in that elbow after both of his starts this season. Tests revealed a damaged ligament in need of surgical repair.
In his two starts, Bieber tossed a combined 12 innings with 20 strikeouts while allowing just 10 hits and zero runs. This dominant start comes after he posted a 1.56 ERA and 19 punch-outs in 17 1/3 Spring Training innings.
While Bieber provided above-league-average production in 2023, his performance was not in line with his peak years. His 110 ERA+ was significantly lower than his 148 ERA+ from 2019-2022. Bieber also experienced a decline in velocity before getting hurt last year.
Bieber represented one of the more intriguing trade candidates in the league, but these red flags caused concern and greatly diminished his value. The concern over Bieber’s health is now justified after Saturday’s Tommy John news.
A Rejuvenated Bieber
In hopes of regaining his prowess, the 28-year-old worked with Driveline this winter to improve his arsenal and clean his mechanics. The results, evident early in Spring Training, saw increased velocity on his fastball, a new curveball grip, and a better changeup.
In his two starts, Bieber seemed like his old self. The best version of Bieber easily generates double-digit strikeouts per game and induces soft contact. However, he did not strike out more than nine in a game last season while his average exit velocity allowed (91.6 mph) and hard-hit rate allowed (47.8 percent) ranked among the worst in the league.
11+ strikeouts and 0 runs allowed on Opening Day:
Walter Johnson (1917)
Lon Warneke (1934)
Chris Short (1965)
Bob Gibson (1967)
Andy Messersmith (1970)
Schilling (1997)
Pedro (1998)
Pedro (2000)
King Félix (2007)
Shane Bieber (2020)
Gerrit Cole (2023)
Shane Bieber (2024) https://t.co/ONDE8OxuqW— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 29, 2024
But on Opening Day in Oakland, Bieber punched out 11 while giving up an average exit velocity of 88.4 mph. This would represent the softest contact given up by Bieber in his career, including his 2020 Cy Young winning campaign. Plus, his whiff rate on Opening Day was better than in any of his 21 starts in 2023.
Bieber looked like he was back at the perfect time. With him reaching free agency after the season, the Guardians likely would have traded him at this year’s deadline. Instead, their fringe postseason hopes take a big hit while they lose the chance to stockpile inexpensive young talent.
For Bieber, he will have to wait at least another year before hoping to hit it big in free agency. Bieber will join Eury Pérez as star pitchers to need Tommy John surgery this week, while Spencer Strider might not be too far behind.
Main Photo: © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
