As the Cleveland Guardians move towards the MLB trade deadline, Shane Bieber has been considered one of their strongest candidates to be dealt. However, a sudden injury has put his near future in doubt regardless if he is playing for the Guardians or not.
Bieber has been pulled from his scheduled Monday start due to forearm tightness, via Mandy Bell of MLB.com. He is undergoing an MRI on Friday before meeting with doctors on Friday.
Bieber’s forearm tightness had been reportedly lingering the last few weeks, holding him back on the mound. His pitch count has taken a hit, as the right-hander hasn’t broken 100 since June 11 and has been blow 90 in two of his last four starts. Now officially pulled from his next start, Bieber will now look to find the root of the problem and see if he needs to face an extended absence.
If not, Bieber will be one of the most coveted pitchers heading into the 2023 MLB trade deadline. Over his 19 starts this season, he has put up a 3.77 ERA and a 95/33 K/BB ratio. Bieber is also a former Cy Young winner and two-time All-Star.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Cleveland leads the NL Central by half a game. However, they’re just 45-45 on the season. Bieber is set to enter his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent in 2025. If the Guardians want to capitalize on his trade value, they would look to deal Bieber with an extra year on his contract.
However, Shane Bieber must now come back with a clean bill of health. His status is now up in the air moving forward. A negative MRI would be a major blow to both his Guardians and overall trade value.
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