Breaking News: Shane Bieber Will Get Tommy John Surgery

In an immense blow to the Cleveland Guardians' pitching staff and playoff hopes, Shane Bieber sustained an elbow injury and will get Tommy John surgery.

At some point during g two electric starts to begin the season, Bieber apparently experienced elbow pain and got the diagnosis after dominating the Mariners.

Bieber had elbow inflammation before the All-Star break in 2023 and tried to address the issue with rest, coming back for two starts before the season's end. He then went to Driveline in the offseason to work on his velocity, the shape of his offspeed pitches and the utility of his curveball. His velocity was clearly up on his fastball throughout Spring Training and at the beginning of the season. Who knows how much of all this is connected to the elbow injuries that are the common bane to pitchers throughout Major League Baseball?

This won't be easy to hear but I do believe we should not be counting on the second member of the elbow injury brigade from last season, Triston McKenzie, to avoid complications. I certainly hope he is more successful than Bieber turned out to be, but elbow inflammation and elbow tears seem to almost inevitably result in this outcome. It goes to prove the old adage, "You can never have too much pitching."

In the meantime, while Gavin Williams gets stretched out from his own elbow tweak (yikes!), the Guardians will likely turn to offseason addition Ben Lively to help replace Bieber in the rotation. It would be a true Guardians pitching machine miracle if Lively were able to provide any sort of reasonable facsimile of Bieber's production. But, this is what every baseball season is all about - enduring the war of attrition and proving you can sustain and survive seemingly unsustainable losses.

This will be the first big test for first time manager Stephen Vogt as he attempts to steady the ship and maintain team competitive fire without the staff leader. Hopefully, the organization will see breakouts from folks like Doug Nikhazy, Ryan Webb, and Joey Cantillo (when healthy) to help provide additional arms down the road. I also wonder if the team might open a conversation about Jesus Luzardo who has been rumored to be potentially available if the Marlins do not quickly turn around their disastrous start to the season.

Bottom line, Guardians fans should be rightly saddened by the idea that we will not see Shane Bieber, an impending free agent, pitch another game in a Cleveland uniform. The potential may exist for a one-year prove-it deal similar to what Brandon Woodruff signed with Milwaukee this offseason, but more likely than not, we have seen the end of Bieber's time here. Now, to see if the Guardians' pitching development group can continue its recent track record of success and find replacements for Bieber and for any other potential losses.