Early returns possible for two Cleveland Guardians pitchers

The pitching staff of the Cleveland Guardians has received plenty of attention for the upcoming season, and for good reason. Cleveland experienced plenty of turnover in this area last season, creating a cause for concern regarding any potential success in 2025. Luckily, they may have two arms return to action earlier than initially anticipated.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Shane Bieber and Trevor Stephan could return in the first half of the 2025 season. Both pitchers underwent Tommy John Surgery in early 2024, with Bieber making just two starts before the season-ending procedure, while Stephan missed the entire season.

Bieber's absence was clearly felt more as he is a starter, and Cleveland's bullpen still managed to be an elite unit despite Stephan not being available. The Guardians starting staff was forced to rely on arms that no one could have imagined, with Ben Lively taking on an innings-eater role and Matthew Boyd being a nice surprise down the stretch, but it did not come without a few stumbles along the way.

Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen were both sent down to Triple-A Columbus due to poor performance. These were two arms that Cleveland was depending on to pick up the slack in Bieber's absence, and they were incapable of providing the level of production required to do so.

If the Guardians can get Bieber and Stephan back earlier than expected, it will make Cleveland's underwhelming attempts to add to their pitching staff a bit more forgiveable. Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi may be able to contribute at some level, but there is a distinct difference between their talent level and that of Bieber and, to a lesser extent, Stephan.

Being able to reinsert Bieber and Stephan into the equation is going to produce more consistent and better-quality results than what they would get from one or both Ortiz and Cecconi. This could ultimately make the difference between the Guardians being in the mix to win the American League Central for a second consecutive year and having a down year which sees them limp to the finish line.