Guardians' Shane Bieber to undergo Tommy John surgery

Field Level Media|published: 04/06/2024, 11:40am EDT

Apr 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. credits: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right pitching elbow, the team announced Saturday.

Bieber, who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2020, started the season with a bang, going 2-0. In his two starts, he held the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners scoreless, giving up 10 hits, walking one and striking out 20 in 12 innings.

But the team said that following his first start in Oakland on Opening Day, and then after the game in Seattle on April 2, Bieber felt elbow pain.

It's a recurrence of an issue that popped up in 2023, which was treated both with rest and rehabilitation last season and in the offseason.

The team said it is scheduling a surgery date with Dr. Keith Meister in the Dallas area. A well-known orthopedist, Meister is a team physician for the Texas Rangers.

Bieber, who turns 29 next month, is in his seventh season with the Guardians. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 136 games (134 starts) and has 958 strikeouts in 843 innings.

Limited to 21 starts last season, Bieber was 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 128 innings.

—Field Level Media