Sept. 24: Bieber has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, the Indians announced Friday. Righty Nick Sandlin is being transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot. Cleveland also reinstated Amed Rosario from the bereavement list and optioned infielder Ernie Clement and lefty Francisco Perez to Triple-A Columbus.
Sept. 22: Shane Bieber will return to the Indians to start Friday night’s game against the White Sox, interim manager DeMarlo Hale told reporters (including Mandy Bell of MLB.com). It’ll be his first appearance since June 13. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so a corresponding 40-man move will need to be made, although that can be accomplished by simply transferring Wilson Ramos from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in the wake of his season-ending knee injury.
The 26-year-old Bieber was placed on the 10-day injured list back on June 14 due to a right shoulder subscapularis muscle strain. The reigning American League Cy Young winner hadn’t been quite as dominant as he was during 2020’s 60-game sprint, but he’d still impressed with 90 2/3 frames of 3.28 ERA ball prior to landing on the injured list. Bieber’s 33.9 percent strikeout rate, while still among the best in the league, was down from last year’s remarkable 41.1 percent showing. His 8.6 percent walk rate marked a slight increase over last year’s 7.1 percent clip.
Bieber’s injury was a major factor in Cleveland’s downfall in the American League Central standings this season, although had he been the lone member of the rotation to fall to an injury, perhaps the club could’ve withstood the loss. Instead, he was joined by both Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac for lengthy stays on the injured list, forcing the Indians to lean heavily on a group of rookie starters who spent much of the season looking overmatched.
At this point, any postseason hopes for Cleveland have been dashed, but there’s still some value in getting Bieber a few innings to close out the year on a high note. Pitching in a game setting without experiencing any lingering or recurring symptoms will allow both Bieber and the team to head into the offseason with greater confidence that the right-hander’s injury won’t carry over into the 2022 season. As a first-time arbitration-eligible player, Bieber surely appreciates the opportunity to pick up a few more innings to help offset the missed time.
Looking to 2022, Bieber will return to front a rotation that again looks to be stocked with quality young arms. The aforementioned Civale gives the club a strong No. 2 option behind Bieber, and while young Triston McKenzie was clobbered for seven runs in his most recent appearance, he’s shown some extended flashes of brilliance this year and looks well on his way to settling into the rotation as well. Plesac’s 2020 numbers look increasingly like an outlier, but even if that’s the case, he presents a solid fourth option. Cal Quantrill, meanwhile, has a 3.05 ERA (albeit with a 4.18 FIP) in 115 innings out of the rotation. Right-hander Eli Morgan hasn’t fared particularly well in his debut campaign but does have sound numbers in Triple-A. He’ll be a fine depth option moving forward, and the Indians have also at least gotten some big league exposure for depth options like Sam Hentges, J.C. Mejia and Logan Allen this year as well.
What’s a Bieber?
Hopefully his return will allow GuarIndians to nab that division lead
I like your positive thinking, but any 2 wins for CWX or 2 loses for the Red Guard with 12 games left looks extremely bleak. Don’t play chicken with your ace
You are not a smart man
And you are? Explain yourself
No
Wow, deeply thought out, I’ll bet you were at the top of your class in high school.
You’re a strange troll Fletcher & this is me hitting my mute button
Keep dreaming…
Would it be less stressful to use him as mid relief instead of starting him right away? This could also have a reverse effect where if he gets bombed, the Guardians could end up with little confidence in pitching for the 2022 season. Seems a little risky with an ace whose missed over half a season.
did you just suggest that the Indians would lose confidence in a CY YOUNG WINNER over 12 games after a lengthy injury?
Anyone can lose confidence if they are put in a situation where they can’t succeed after a serious injury. Kluber win a CYA? No one is 100%
You’re handy with the caps but you forgot the D in did.
Ouch. You really got me on the capital letter. How will I recover from such a defeat?
Kluber and Bieber are completely different situations. Age, years of service, and contract are all very different. Bieber is the reigning Cy Young winner. Kluber was a couple of years removed when his injuries got to him. That, and Kluber was making $17 million more than Bieber when Kluber was traded. Extremely different situations.
Good to hear you’re willing to sacrifice your ace with 12 games left in a division you can’t win. All I was suggesting is don’t start him. The Red Guard brought Kluber back in 2019 after his injury to pitch 7 starts & he went 2-3/5.80 – You can’t tell me the situation isn’t similar.
As far as your caps problem, thoughts & prayers for you recovery.
*your
Bieber traded from indians to guardians to spiders in one season.
Don’t really understand the point of running him out there. At least with the A’s and Bassitt, they have a shot, however small, at getting a WC. Still, it would be an absolutely epic collapse on the Sox’ part and some of the best baseball played by anyone all year for Cleveland to steal the division. Just one win out of 5 for the Sox in the upcoming series clinches it. It’s unlikely to be against Bieber, but surely they can steal one of them, despite how bad they’ve been.
Having Bieber start a couple more games will allow him to reassume his normal workload and have a normal transition into off-season to prepare for 2022.
@enjoylindor
This. Which is the obvious answer. Build him up so he can progress to as normal an off-season as he can get.
I completely agree that it makes sense to be cautious with Bieber. However, the player has some say in it too. If he has no visible issues, he is feeling good, is progressing through rehab and he is medically cleared.. the team cannot just keep him on the IL because he is too valuable for next year. The move has nothing to do with contending this season though.
What’s he suppose to do, not throw a pitch until Spring training? He’s already pitched in minor league rehab. Is there an injury risk difference between the minors and MLB?
Ahh…. lets see, Oh the hitters are on a different level at MLB. He’s your pitcher, lets see what he does Friday night.
By the way, I didn’t say don’t pitch him, I said start him off at mid relief.
Curious that they added Sandlin to the 60-day IL and not Wilson Ramos. They also sent both Francisco Perez and Ernie Clement down. That means they have a slot left on the big club.
I wonder if they’ll call up someone who is not currently on the 40 man roster. Oscar Gonzalez? Steven Kwan? Richie Palacios?
They also activated Amed Rosario from the bereavement list today.