Cleveland Guardians starter Tanner Bibee hasn’t always been effective this season. He has had outings in which he surrendered seven and eight runs, for example. Additionally, he boasts a 2-9 record, so some fans are quick to label him as a 2026 bust.
Not so fast, though. The right-hander has been very solid this year, and a huge June is mostly behind his recent turnaround. That’s right: Bibee has a 3.69 ERA in 102 frames in the current season, right in line with his career 3.63 mark.
The talented hurler was able to put together an impressive run last month, leading the Guardians’ rotation even though he didn’t always get run support.
“(Bibee) finishes June with a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings over five starts,” Guardians insider Tim Stebbins said after he had yet another excellent outing on Wednesday.
Bibee goes 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 1 HR
He finishes June with a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings over five starts.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) July 1, 2026
That day, Bibee allowed just three runs (two earned) in seven frames, with no walks and two strikeouts. That performance helped him put together an impressive month in which he showed the world that he can be more than just a homer-prone pitcher with potential.
Bibee’s hittable fastball will always make him susceptible to the long ball, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a solid mid-rotation stalwart. Yes, he has allowed 1.5 dingers per nine innings, which is actually a career-worst, but his excellent run-prevention skills help keep Cleveland in most games when he’s on the mound.
Perhaps Bibee is not quite an ace, which is what he looked like as a rookie in 2023, but he is a guy any manager would feel happy to have on his staff. He eats innings, he rarely gets into trouble with walks, and he can get himself out of jams via the strikeout.
Last September showed us just how dominant Bibee can be when he’s on. Remember, he had a 1.30 ERA in the last month of the 2025 campaign, just when his team needed him the most. Yes, he will alternate these stretches with some head-scratching struggles at times, but the overall package is very solid.
In Bibee, the Guardians have a young, proven pitching asset under a really affordable contract.
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