The Cleveland Guardians have enough depth and quality to compete for a postseason spot with their current pitching staff.
However, in order to increase their ceiling and give themselves a better chance to advance in the playoffs, they need the best versions of Shane Bieber and Trevor Stephan.
Both hurlers are rehabbing from long-term injuries and have a similar timeline.
They have been throwing with increasing intensity, but things could get serious when they face live hitters next month if everything goes according to plan.
“Both Cleveland #Guardians RHP’s Shane Bieber and Trevor Stephan could start throwing live BP’s in late April or early May as they continue to rehab from TJ surgery,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
They have been throwing bullpen sessions and that in itself is a pretty big step in the right direction.
Throwing live batting practice is the real hurdle, though: they get to test out their stuff against hitters after such a long layoff.
They will both need a minor league assignment, too.
The expectation is that we see both pitchers back at some point in the first half of the season.
Both of them are targeting June, but there is a chance they will be back at some point in May.
A lot has to go right for that to happen, but it’s definitely a possibility, especially considering the team chose not to place any of them on the 60-day injured list.
Both were sent to the 15-day list.
Bieber will go back to being the Guardians ace upon returning, while Stephan will be another right-handed option for an already loaded bullpen.
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