2025 Player Outlook
Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery in April, and the usual 12–15-month recovery timeline puts his return likely at the mid-point of the 2025 season. Injuries have plagued numerous seasons for Bieber, but when healthy, he's an above-average fantasy arm and in reality, a frontline starter. If your league has IL spots, you can afford to stash Bieber and make his current ADP more palatable. If you take the chance on the veteran right-hander, you have to hope that the velocity is there upon his return, and his breaking stuff has its normal bite.
Player News
Guardians placed RHP Shane Bieber on the 15-day injured list with right elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.
Bieber has been targeting the All-Star break for his return, but it’s noteworthy that the Guardians chose not to put him on the 60-day IL. We wouldn’t yet expect him back before the All-Star break, but we should keep an eye on his recovery.
Guardians signed RHP Shane Bieber to a one-year, $10 million contract with a $16 million player option for 2026.
The deal, which was agreed to last week, is now official. Bieber is expected to miss at least some time during the first half of the impending season as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, but he figures to be ready to bolster Cleveland’s starting rotation at some point next season. The 29-year-old right-hander is unlikely to return to form as an upper-echelon fantasy starter, especially since his average fastball velocity has officially dipped into the low-90’s range, but he should miss enough bats to make an impact for fantasy managers again. Given his extensive track record, he’s at least worthy of a speculative late-round pick in fantasy drafts next spring.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Guardians have reached an agreement to bring back right-hander Shane Bieber on a one-year, $14 million contract.
Bieber will make $10 million for the 2025 season and the deal also includes a $16 million player option ($4 million buyout) for the 2026 season. Bieber will remain with the only organization that he has ever known since being selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He chose to return to the Guardians despite having outstanding offers for more guaranteed money elsewhere. The 29-year-old right-hander made a pair of brilliant starts to open the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending elbow injury and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to miss at least the first few months of the 2025 season while continuing his recovery.
Guardians transferred RHP Shane Bieber (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list with a right elbow injury.
No surprises here as Bieber is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the 2024 season and likely a portion of the 2025 season. The 28-year-old entered this season on a one-year contract with the Guardians, so it’ll be interesting to see if Cleveland decides to bring him back following this injury or if they let the former AL Cy Young walk in free agency. Either way, this is a tough blow for fantasy managers and fans as one of the bigger storylines of the season has been the multitude of injuries to starting pitchers.
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