The Cleveland Guardians’ starting rotation ran into more bad news on Friday. The team scratched ace Shane Bieber from a rehab start after dealing with elbow soreness. After undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, the former American League Cy Young Award winner seemed to be on his way back to the team, but has suffered a setback after making one rehab start. The team will shut him down until the middle of next week and he will visit the doctor who performed his surgery for re-evaluation.
Shane Bieber will be shut down from throwing until the middle of next week (one week from when soreness surfaced). He’ll be re-checked at that point to determine his readiness to continue his progression. https://t.co/KjorWvWhIT
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) June 6, 2025
Shane Bieber Scratched from Start After Dealing with Elbow Soreness
Bieber, 30, underwent Tommy John surgery last year after making two starts and missed the rest of his contract year. The Guardians opted to bring him back on a two-year, $26 million deal this offseason in hopes that he would return sometime around July.
Bieber made a rehab start in the Florida Complex League on May 31st, only throwing 2 1/3 innings. While throwing a bullpen in preparation for his next rehab start with Double-A Akron, the soreness began to arise. He was seemingly close to making his way back to the club’s rotation, but Bieber will be shut down until the middle of next week, and his return will be pushed back.
This news marks more bad news for the Guardians’ pitching staff, as they recently lost Ben Lively to Tommy John surgery as well. With Lively and Bieber out, their rotation will continue to feature the likes of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Logan Allen, and Slade Cecconi.
The club’s rotation is improving month by month, and much of that is due to Ortiz’s performance. The right-hander owns a 2.28 ERA in his last five starts, recently shutting out the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Bibee and Williams have also shown flashes of dominance this year, so the rotation should be just fine even if Bieber misses added time.
Main Photo Credit: © Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
