Shane Bieber, the ace of the Cleveland Guardians, is working his way up from the minor leagues after months of rehab following Tommy John surgery in April 2024.
He tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Saturday, looking excellent in the process.
He struck out five and touched 94 mph with his fastball, not far from his ideal velocity.
The next step for him was getting Thursday’s start in Double-A Akron.
According to team insider Tim Stebbins, who covers the team for MLB.com, he will now pitch on Friday instead.
“Shane Bieber is now set to start Friday with Double-A Akron. He threw a bullpen with the RubberDucks today,” he posted on X.
Shane Bieber is now set to start Friday with Double-A Akron. He threw a bullpen with the RubberDucks today. https://t.co/DAkJptT6dX
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) June 3, 2025
Bieber is completing every step of the way with determination.
He looks on track to return to the Guardians’ rotation either in late June or early July.
After putting in some work from the bullpen on Tuesday, the Guards decided to bump his next start an extra day, which is why he will take the ball on Friday for the RubberDucks in what will be his second rehab start.
He is expected to need at least a few more.
Bieber was looking excellent last year before going down with the elbow injury.
In 12 innings, he had a perfect 0.00 ERA and struck out a whopping 20 hitters.
It remains to be seen if he can reach that level of dominance this year, but Cleveland fans certainly hope so.
He has that kind of ceiling.
A healthy, locked-in Bieber gives the Guardians a competitive edge.
He is an ace in his prime.
NEXT: Guardians Star Gets First Start Of The Season
