CLEVELAND.- Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the season. Big leagues. This is a strong blow for the team and the 2020 Cy Young winner.
Bieber, who missed several months last season with elbow problems, felt sore after his Opening Day start in Oakland and again this week in Seattle. The right one underwent several tests and doctors recommended a reconstructive operation on the ulnar collateral ligament.
Recovery time can be up to 16 months.
“He's devastated,” Guardians president of operations Chris Antonetti said in a video call. He “Believes that he is letting a lot of people down and tried to assure Shane that he couldn't be further from the truth because he is an example of professionalism, which means being a great companion. ±ero and leaderâ€.
Incredibly, Bieber pitched 12 scoreless innings, striking out 20 in his first two starts despite the pain. He and the team hoped he would calm down, but the pain got worse.
“He really put in a lot of work this winter and in spring training and we believed he was on a good path to stay healthy and contribute to the season,†Antonetti added. “But finally coming back and facing the stress of the big league environment, it was too much for him.†.
Bieber returned to Cleveland this week for examination and made the decision to undergo the operation on Friday, Antonetti confirmed.
Contract status with Cleveland:
Bieber is in the final year of his current contract with the Guardians, who started the season 6-2 before facing Minnesota this Saturday.
The team indicated that Dr. Keith Meister will perform the operation in the near future in Dallas.
Bieber, 28, is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 134 starts with Cleveland. He led the Major Leagues in wins, ERA and strikeouts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
This is the latest injury on Cleveland's pitching staff. Reliever Trevor Stephan underwent Tommy John surgery and Gary Williams has been out since spring training with an elbow soreness.
The Guardians hope to contend in the American League Central and will need others to take the reins without Bieber.
