Guardians fans got another bleak Shane Bieber reminder with Blue Jays news drop

Last November Shane Bieber gave us one of the biggest surprises of the MLB offseason when he picked up his $16 million player option with the Blue Jays instead of testing free agency. 

While it’s always a bit surprising to see any player pick up a player option instead of hitting free agency, Bieber was an even more interesting case considering that so much of the discussion around the end of his time in Cleveland was spent talking about his impending free agency. 

But we got some new reporting on Tuesday that added some additional context to what seemed like a no-brainer decision for Bieber, as Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that Bieber will start the year on the injured list due to forearm fatigue. (H/T to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon). 

And while Schneider said that he’s expecting for Bieber to be back and healthy soon, it’s yet another ominous injury update for a pitcher who has spent the better part of the past five years struggling with injuries. 

Former Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber to start season on injured list for Blue Jays 

Bieber’s journey with his latest injury started in April 2024 when he initially underwent Tommy John surgery after two incredible starts on the Guardians’ season-opening West Coast road trip. 

That injury ended up impacting his impending free agency and was the biggest reason why he signed a one-year, $14 million deal to return to the Guardians for 2025 that included the aforementioned player option that seemed like an afterthought at the time. 

While Bieber never appeared in the big leagues for the Guardians last season, he spent the first half of the season rehabbing in the minors and ended up rebuilding his value so much that Cleveland’s front office traded him to the Blue Jays in a one-for-one deal thatnetted them pitching prospect Khal Stephen. 

Bieber ended up pitching well for the Blue Jays in the regular season (3.57 ERA in 40 1/3 innings) before adding 18 1/3 innings in the postseason. 

But it didn’t take long for the other shoe to drop, as the news of Bieber picking up his player option was promptly followed by reporting that he was dealing with forearm fatigue, which can sometimes be a precursor to a bigger injury. 

Bannon reported that fatigue was revealed in an offseason MRI, and that general manager Ross Atkins said that Bieber will have a delay in his spring training ramp-up. 

Bieber will now miss the first two weeks of the season, though it wouldn’t be surprising if he’ll be out longer than that. 

Even if his injury won’t be a death blow for the Blue Jays’ rotation since they signed Dylan Cease to an expensive deal, their pitching depth is immediately going to be tested. 

They also lost outfielder (and former Guardians farmhand) Anthony Santander for the first half of the season after he underwent offseason shoulder surgery. 

Although Bieber is a front-line ace when healthy, his inability to stay on the field became too much for the Guardians to ignore. Now the Blue Jays are finding themselves in the same spot.