5 internal options the Cleveland Guardians can turn to following Shane Bieber's season-ending injury

The Cleveland Guardians were the recipients of some devastating news on Saturday, as it was announced that Ace and 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber will miss the rest of the season due to injury. Bieber will be undergoing Tommy John surgery, leaving a vacancy in the Guardians rotation for the remainder of the season. 

Cleveland will no doubt explore multiple options to fill the void left by Bieber, both being of the external and internal variety. Should they prefer to exhaust internal options first, the following are some names that could be the answer the Guardians are looking for.

1. Gavin Williams

The inclusion of Gavin Williams in this list is a bit of technicality, considering that he was always going to be a part of the Guardians starting rotation this year. Williams is currently working his way back from an injury sustained during Spring Training and will be taking his place in Cleveland's rotation once he is ready. So, while it is not really someone that nobody expected to be in the mix, Williams' return could help make up for the loss of Bieber for nearly all of the 2024 season.

Williams appeared in 16 games for the Guardians last year, finishing with a 3.29 ERA, 1.256 WHIP, and 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023.

2. Xzavion Curry

Starting games is not a foreign concept for the 25-year-old Xzavion Curry. With 11 starts for the Cleveland Guardians over the past two seasons, Curry is someone they could definitely consider stepping back into their rotation to help in the short term.

Even though the majority of Curry's appearances last year came out of the bullpen, pitching multiple innings to start off a game is something that is more than capable of doing. Curry made four starts in August and September of last year, where he pitched 5 innings or more. Yes, one of these outings came against a Tampa Bay Rays team that scored five runs. However, it must be said that the other three starts saw Curry allow the same amount of runs in 16.1 innings.

Cleveland would not necessarily need Curry to be a workhorse innings eater in order for him to be effective. If the Guardians could just get 4 to 5 innings from Curry more often than not while pairing his starts with someone else who can pitch a couple of innings immediately following him on those days, it could take a lot of pressure off of the rest of pitching staff and first-year manager Stephen Vogt.

3. Hunter Gaddis

Like the previously mentioned Xzavion Curry, Hunter Gaddis is also someone that the Cleveland Guardians could consider to make some starts following Shane Bieber's season-ending injury.

Gaddis was called upon early last year to start a few games, but the performances in those starts were far from consistent. One game would see Gaddis give up four runs in 3.2 innings to the Seattle Mariners, with the next being 6 innings of one-hit baseball against the Oakland Athletics. This was followed by a disastrous outing against the New York Yankees, allowing eight runs in 3 innings. Gaddis did have a slight bounceback against Detroit in his next start, allowing three runs in 5 innings against the Tigers. These inconsistencies, combined with his better performances from the bullpen, could result in the Guardians considering someone else to fill the open spot in the rotation.

In all actuality, Gaddis is someone who is probably better suited to follow Curry in a piggyback start scenario, as described on the previous slide. Combining outings from Curry and Gaddis in this manner would help the Guardians manufacture the length of a starting pitcher's usual outing length. Taking this route would allow Cleveland to keep their arms in the back end of the bullpen in their rightful places rather than being forced into a role they are not quite suited for.

4. Ben Lively

The signing of Ben Lively by the Cleveland Guardians last November did not come with much if any, fanfare. But now, a signing that very few, if anyone, expected to have an impact this season now has the chance to do so with Shane Bieber out for the season.

Lively made 12 starts for the Cincinnati Reds last season, and the results were not all that great. Finishing with a 5.38 ERA and 1.365 WHIP in 88.2 innings, Lively would be placed back into the bullpen for his final five appearances, resulting in 12 runs allowed over 17.2 innings.

The biggest problem for Lively throughout last season was giving up the long ball. Lively allowed 20 home runs last year, which is a rate of one per every 4.41 innings pitched. Another way to put this? Not great. It is hard to remain competitive in a game that sees a pitcher giving up home runs at this rate, and it could be deflating to a lineup that has issues with hitting the ball over the fence.

Going with Lively would not necessarily be the most exciting option, but it would be understandable if the Guardians prefer to keep their younger players in their current roles by having him join the rotation over some of the other options.