Shane Bieber DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow), who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw his fifth bullpen session of camp on Tuesday and has progressed to throwing five days a week in addition to extending his throwing distance out to 135 feet. Bieber is making good progress and is on schedule in his recovery from TJ surgery, but he's still not expected to return to Cleveland's starting rotation until around midseason, barring any setbacks. Because the 29-year-old could miss half of the season, he'll be a complete wild card in fantasy and could struggle to regain his pinpoint control and command upon his return. Bieber looked good in two starts last year before being shut down, but before that, his velocity and strikeouts were trending in the wrong direction for fantasy managers. He's not in RotoBaller's top-100 starting pitcher rankings in 2025.

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) continues to recover from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April of last year at the team's spring training complex in Arizona. He has been able to progress his throwing to five days per week and his throwing distance out to 120 feet. Bieber will initiate his mound progression in mid-February. Because of the timing of the 29-year-old's surgery, he's not expected to be able to rejoin Cleveland's starting rotation in 2025 until around midseason. He was also dealing with elbow concerns in 2023, so hopefully he'll be able to put his arm issues behind him and be productive for the Cleveland rotation in the second half of the year. But the fact that Bieber will miss at least half the season puts him outside the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers this spring. Even before his injury, Bieber's velocity and strikeout numbers were trending in the wrong direction.

According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) is not expected to rejoin the starting rotation until midway through the season. Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last April after making just two starts. During this short stint, the 29-year-old struck out 20 batters in 20 innings and did not allow a run. Earlier in December, it was reported that Bieber began throwing from 90 feet. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status during the first half of the season. While sidelined, Tanner Bibee will operate as the ace of the staff, as he did through almost all of the 2024 campaign. In addition, with Bieber sidelined, Luis L. Ortiz, Triston McKenzie, and Slade Cecconi will compete for the final spot in the rotation.