The Cleveland Guardians aren’t having the most exciting season, riding a four-game losing streak that has widened the gap between them and the first-place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
Cleveland is heading into a make-or-break week with three games at the Minnesota Twins, who are fresh off a 13-game winning streak that vaulted them past the Guardians in the division, and four games at Detroit.
All of this has made it more imperative for former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber to get back on the mound.
Bruce Drennan recently gave an idea of when Bieber might come back and said the Guardians need to hang on and not fall too far down the standings until that happens.
“Get us to the point where Bieber can return is my point. He’s doing well in his rehab, but I don’t think we can anticipate until sometime in June, and that’s optimistic. … We don’t have a timeline exactly for him because he’s going to have to pitch some minor league games, but I would think sometime in June,” Drennan said.
Bruce shares a Shane Bieber update and when we could see him back to starting for the #Guardians. #GuardsBall
"I don't think we can anticipate until sometime in June."
Presented by @drinkgaragebeerhttps://t.co/RNDk1lUxgK #garagebeer pic.twitter.com/VLHdxkz4su
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) May 19, 2025
Relying on Bieber to turn the season around is a tall order, especially because the offense has been such a major part of the average record so far.
Cleveland has relied on the same five-man rotation for all but two starts, and all five have been at least decent, while the bullpen has taken a major step back after being the best in baseball last year.
Bieber’s return would certainly help, but the other issues aren’t going to go away just because he comes back.
The Guardians haven’t scored more than five runs in any of the past eight games and are facing the most important week of their young season on the schedule.
It’s time for the offense to give the pitching staff a bit of a break.
NEXT: Former Guardians Outfielder Is Becoming More Comfortable In New Role
