The Cleveland Guardians may have avoided a major scare in their starting rotation.
After leaving his Opening Day start with right shoulder inflammation, Tanner Bibee is already trending in the right direction, according to manager Stephen Vogt.
Bibee exited the opener after five innings in Seattle, raising immediate concern given his importance to Cleveland’s rotation. He allowed three runs on four hits while striking out seven, but it was clear something was not quite right with him.
Now, the early update is encouraging.
“He’s doing much better today. Obviously, he was feeling it, but his exam was strong. He’s feeling better today,” Vogt said. “So we’re going to go day to day with his progression. The plan is obviously, if everything goes well, he makes his next start. But it’s very much a day to day update on how he’s feeling.”
Vogt added that, as things currently stand, Bibee is expected to take the mound again soon.
“As of right now, Tanner’s making his start on Tuesday. We’ll see how the next few days go.”
This is great news. There were already questions about the rotation heading into the season, and losing a key arm this early would have only amplified those concerns.
Instead, the Guardians appear to have avoided the worst-case scenario.
Early in the season, teams tend to be conservative with any shoulder-related discomfort, especially with a pitcher expected to carry a heavy workload. Even if Bibee does make his next start, his performance and velocity will be watched closely.
What initially looked like a potentially concerning injury has turned into a manageable, day-to-day situation. And if Bibee continues to progress, the Guardians could have their rotation leader right back on the mound without missing time.
That is about as good of an outcome as Cleveland could have hoped for.
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