Back in June, the Cleveland Guardians had to shut down rehabbing star Shane Bieber just before his second minor league outing when he reported elbow soreness.
An MRI revealed that everything was fine with his elbow, and doctors determined that the soreness was considered normal.
He was shut down for a week, then resumed throwing.
After a few weeks of getting his arm back in shape, Bieber officially restarted his rehab assignment with a minor league start in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.
Suffice it to say, the results were excellent.
“Cleveland Guardians RHP Shane Bieber’s final line vs the Dodgers in his rehab start tonight in the Arizona Complex League. Line – 2.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 5SO. Bieber struck out five of the eight batters he faced,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Shane Bieber's final line vs the Dodgers in his rehab start tonight in the Arizona Complex League.
Line – 2.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 5SO
Bieber struckout five of the eight batters he faced.
Video – AZ HitFlix on Instagram #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/eIBDLcrj3b
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 16, 2025
The video, courtesy of AZ HitFlix on Instagram, shows a dominant version of Bieber, which is to be expected given the level of the competition.
If he is healthy, he will absolutely dominate rookie-level hitters, and that’s what happened.
He appears to be trending towards an August return, if he can rebound nicely from the outing in the upcoming days.
All that separates Bieber from the Guardians’ active roster now is the fact that he is not yet built up to pitch five or six innings in a game.
He is currently at two, and will need at least two or three additional starts to reach that point.
Perhaps Cleveland will have its ace back for the last few weeks of the season after all.
It will be a huge boost for their chances, but they must reach that point with mathematical chances.
NEXT: Guardians Prospect Is Off To Impressive Start In Career
