The Cleveland Guardians hoped to have Shane Bieber return to a contending team this season.
Unfortunately, that might not be the case.
While the pitcher likely will take the mound this season, the Guardians do not look like a postseason-caliber team.
That might not be the only bad news.
According to analyst Jack O’Rourke, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about Bieber, who is working his way back after having Tommy John surgery.
O’Rourke said that while Bieber could rely on his control to stay in the league for years to come, he might not be the ace he was before his injury.
“If you took out [Shane Bieber’s] name and looked at everything else about this scenario and what was going on, take out stats, how many times his body has gone through it, where his velocity has decreased, I would look at you and say he’s a control specialist, so he’s probably going to hang around until he’s 35, but I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion the arm talent’s gonna be there,” O’Rourke said, via “The BIG Factor.”
Shane Bieber is not guaranteed to return at an ace level. #GuardsBall
"He's a control specialist, so he's going to hang around till he's 35, but I don't think it's a foregone conclusion the arm talent's gonna be there."
– @jackorourke94 pic.twitter.com/OWvRRmLphh
— The BIG Factor (@TheBIGFactor) July 9, 2025
Bieber recently threw two simulated innings of around 15 pitches each.
He’s working out at Double-A Akron, and was scheduled to start for it on June 6, but he had to be pushed back due to right elbow soreness.
He’s thrown multiple bullpen sessions and live batting practice since overcoming that hurdle, but it was somewhat worrisome.
Bieber will have to throw at least one more live BP before taking the mound for game action at Double-A.
But with the Guardians sliding in the standings and failing to gain much momentum, there might not be much of a point in rushing him back out there.
They shouldn’t shut him down for the season because there’s still plenty of baseball to be played, but they need to manage his workload carefully to make sure he’s back to his usual ways next season.
NEXT: Guardians Have Unique Opportunity To Get Back On Track
