Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber Moved to 60-Day Injured List, Out Until September

The former AL Cy Young will miss at least another month due to elbow inflammation, costing the Guardians their ace as the playoff push approaches.

The Cleveland Guardians have transferred starting pitcher Shane Bieber to the 60-day injured list, MLB.com beat writer Mandy Bell reported Monday afternoon. In a related move, the Guardians optioned LHP Tim Herrin to Triple-A Columbus and called up left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris.

As a result of the transfer, Bieber will not be eligible to return to Cleveland's major league roster until Sept. 10.

Bieber was initially placed on the 15-day injured list on July 15 – retroactive to July 12 – due to right elbow inflammation. The last time Bieber took the mound was July 9 against the Kansas City Royals, as he was scratched from his scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 17.

Bell reported that Bieber would not throw for two weeks, while also clarifying that he would not need surgery.

Through 19 starts this season, Bieber was 5-6 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.248 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Those numbers took a big hit over the past two months, with Bieber posting a 2-5 record and 4.68 ERA since May 16.

Prior to that dropoff, Bieber was enjoying a 3-1 record and 2.61 ERA, which was much more in-line with the 43-21 record and 2.91 ERA he put up between 2019 and 2022.

Bieber made the All-Star Game in 2019 and 2021, and he surely would have made it in 2020 if not for the COVID-shortened campaign. At just 25 years old, Bieber led all major league pitchers in wins, ERA, strikeouts and WAR en route to the AL Cy Young Award and a fourth-place finish in AL MVP voting.

Even though Bieber was not playing at that level in 2023, he was still the Guardians' most reliable starter. 24-year-olds Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen, as well as 28-year-old Aaron Civale, all have ERAs under 3.25, but none of them have tossed more than 85 innings at the major league level this season.

Bieber, on the other hand, has already pitched 117 despite missing his last two starts.

The Guardians are right in the thick of a playoff push, currently sitting 3.0 games back of the Minnesota Twins for first place in the AL Central. At 49-50, a Wild Card spot is likely out of reach for Cleveland, making its upcoming divisional contests all the more important.

Over the next week, the Guardians will play three games against the last-place Kansas City Royals and four against the fourth-place Chicago White Sox.

Cleveland's series against Kansas City gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday night.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.