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Guardians Ace Shane Bieber to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
After making just two starts in 2024, Cleveland Guardians ace pitcher Shane Bieber will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, the team announced on Saturday.
"Following his first start in Oakland and subsequent start in Seattle on April 2, Shane Bieber experienced a recurrence of medial right elbow pain. This recurrence of symptoms prompted further medical due diligence, including imaging and evaluation by our team physicians. Imaging and evaluations confirmed the presence of a re-injury to Shane's proximal ulnar collateral ligament," the Guardians said in a statement.
The Guardians, along with Dr. Keith Meister, a renowned sports physician in Arlington, Texas, are in the process of coordinating the surgery.
It's devastating news for Bieber, who was seeking good health after being held to just 21 starts this past season due to right elbow soreness. The 28-year-old won each of his first two starts in 2024, striking out 20 batters across 12 scoreless innings of work.
Now, Cleveland, sporting a 6–2 record out of the gate, will have to find a way to win games without their best pitcher this season.
Bieber, a two-time All-Star and the 2020 American League Cy Young award winner, owns a career 3.22 ERA and 958 strikeouts in seven big-league seasons.
Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.