Guardians Ace Shane Bieber to undergo season-ending surgery

Photo by Charles Murray

Cleveland Oh- Shane Bieber’s injury was announced on Saturday taking many fans by surprise. Bieber has been excellent through his two starts this season. Cleveland’s Ace had not allowed any runs and fanned 20 batters over the twelve innings he pitched thus far.

It was an encouraging sign after Bieber dealt with inflammation in his right shoulder last season which limited his playing time. However, this lingering issue with his shoulder carried over into the current season. Following his first start in Oakland and subsequent start in Seattle on April 2, Bieber experienced a recurrence of medial right elbow pain. This recurrence of symptoms prompted further medical due diligence, including imaging and evaluation by  team physicians. Imaging and evaluations confirmed the presence of a re-injury to Bieber’s proximal ulnar collateral ligament. Additional medical opinions from leading sports medicine physicians, Drs. Keith Meister and Neal ElAttrache, confirmed the diagnosis.

Given the recurrence of symptoms following an extended period of rest and rehabilitation during the 2023 season and subsequent off-season, surgical reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament has been recommended. The team is in the process of coordinating surgery with Dr. Meister in Dallas.

Bieber worked to get through his injury

Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Guardians, spoke on Bieber’s injury. “First and foremost we feel for Shane. Shane has done everything possible in his power to try and get back and pitch and help our team. Those efforts extended back to last year and the effort he put in the rehab process, the ton of work this winter and in spring training. We all felt he was on a good path to stay healthy and contribute for the balance of the season. But ultimately when he got back into games and faced the stress of the major league environment it was just too much for him. He’s devastated by it and feels like he’s letting a lot of people down.”

Skipper Stephen Vogt weighs in on Bieber’s injury

Vogt praised the work Bieber has put in saying, “I feel for Shane. The amount of work that this guy’s put in over the last few years, the things that he’s pitched through – that’s a testament to who he is. This guy powered through a start the other night and was elite. The things that he can do, even when injured, are special. My heart goes out to Shane and his family…this is devastating news for them.”

Vogt went on to say “The next-man-up mentality is what is what we have to be thinking about. You can’t replace Shane Bieber but we do have guys that can step up to give us some meaningful innings.” He plans to talk to the team and let them know “it’s ok to not be ok, we’re all hurt. We love Shane he’s such a big part of our team, our clubhouse, our culture and obviously our on-field success.” Vogt did say that Logan Allen can go on regular rest for the team’s home opener on Monday.

What’s next

Bieber’s injury is a tough blow, however, we’ve seen in previous years that other pitchers can fill in and get the team wins. Of course, as Vogt stated, no one can fill Bieber’s shoes – however, this does not mean the season is lost. The squad has a ton of grit and is also known to develop pitchers. Injuries are nothing new to this franchise and they’ll work through this as efficiently as possible.