The Cleveland Guardians picked up a win on Opening Day, but it did not come without some concern.
Tanner Bibee was forced to exit early due to right shoulder inflammation, creating a concern for Cleveland just one game into the 2026 season.
Bibee left after five innings and did not return for the sixth after feeling discomfort during his warmup pitches. Manager Stephen Vogt and the training staff came out to check on him before making the decision to pull him from the game.
“It’s right shoulder inflammation. He was examined. He’s strong, he’s feeling good, so we just have to see how he feels the next couple days coming out of it,” Vogt said. “But as of right now, he’s very strong on his exam.”
#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Tanner Bibee’s exit:
“It’s right shoulder inflammation. He was examed. He's strong, he’s feeling good, so we just have to see how he feels the next couple days coming out of it. But, definitely the right call for him to let us know he was…
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) March 27, 2026
Bibee went through strength testing after the game and reportedly graded well, which suggests the issue may not be anything serious. Still, the Guardians are expected to take a cautious approach as they evaluate how he responds over the next few days.
Before exiting, Bibee turned in a solid performance. He allowed three runs on four hits over five innings while striking out seven batters. All three runs came on home runs, but outside of those mistakes, he looked sharp and in control.
“I felt I threw the ball super well,” Bibee said. “The best I’ve thrown the ball in a really long time. They hit some mistakes in the first couple of innings.”
Bibee admitted that his shoulder had been bothering him throughout the game, and it reached a point where he did not feel comfortable continuing.
“I feel like it got to the point where I didn’t want to hurt myself or hurt my team,” he said.
Bibee was making his first career Opening Day start and is expected to be a key piece of the rotation this season. The Guardians will be counting on him to lead a pitching staff that has been one of the team’s biggest strengths.
For now, there is no clear timetable for what comes next.
His next scheduled start is uncertain, and if he is unable to go, Cleveland may have to lean on its depth early in the season.
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