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4 hours ago
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It remains uncertain when the Cleveland Guardians will get Shane Bieber back, but the right-hander has yet to throw a pitch during the 2025 campaign. After going down with a tough injury last year to his elbow, which required Tommy John surgery last April, Bieber has thrown in rehab games, but has dealt with some setbacks.
According to MLB.com, Bieber threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, a somewhat promising sign.
According to CBS Sports, Guardian skipper Stephen Vogt was happy after his bullpen session, adding that Bieber "felt really good" after throwing.
"Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was upbeat following the session, noting Bieber 'felt really good,' after the activity. It's unclear if Bieber will jump back into a paused rehab assignment or if more preparation is needed. The right-hander is targeted for a mid-July return," CBS wrote.
The last thing the Guardians want is for Bieber to return and not throw the baseball at a high level or get reinjured. It doesn't help either party, especially after he signed a one-year, $14 million deal with a player option for 2026.
When Bieber has been at his best throughout his career, there's a strong argument to be made that he's one of the better starters in Major League Baseball.
He owns a career 3.22 ERA and has struck out 95 hitters in 843.0 innings. His best season came when he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020, tossing to the likes of a 1.63 ERA and striking out an impressive 122 hitters in 77.1 innings.
He was great in 2022 in a much bigger sample size, tossing to a 2.88 ERA and striking out 198 hitters in 200.0 innings.
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