The Cleveland Guardians’ home opener was supposed to be an exciting time with ace Shane Bieber taking the hill, but after it was announced he would be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the year, fans and the team itself are left picking up the pieces and trying to move on.
With Bieber no longer an option, the Guardians have now officially announced who will be starting the home opener on Monday.
Taking the hill for Cleveland on Monday against the Chicago White Sox will be Triston McKenzie, while Logan Allen, who was originally slated to start the home opener before Sunday’s rainout, will now be pushed to Tuesday.
With today’s rainout, Triston McKenzie will now start the home opener tomorrow. Logan Allen will go on Tuesday and Tanner Bibee on Wednesday.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 7, 2024
McKenzie had a rough first start this season in his return from an elbow injury that kept him out for all but four starts in 2023.
He gave up five runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings against the Seattle Mariners on April 1, posting only two strikeouts to go along with a pair of walks.
McKenzie will get to face one of the weaker lineups in the league and he will be looking to get back on track, which his team now desperately needs due to Bieber’s injury.
Tanner Bibee will be capping off the series on Wednesday for the finale before they welcome the New York Yankees to town for a 3-game set.
Replacing Bieber is not going to be a one-man job.
It will require this entire starting rotation to step up, and McKenzie at just 26 years old is a prime candidate to help ease the pain of losing their ace.
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