Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber was placed on the injured list on Saturday with right elbow inflammation, according to MLB.com's Mandy Bell. In a corresponding move, the Guardians recalled right-hander Michael Kelly from Triple-A.
Bieber, 28, had already been scratched from his next scheduled start. Manager Terry Francona announced on Friday that Bieber would instead undergo an MRI on his forearm/elbow area. It's unclear how long he's expected to miss. Bieber had reportedly been dealing with forearm discomfort for several weeks prior to the All-Star break.
Bieber's first 19 starts this season saw him accumulate a 3.77 ERA (109 ERA+) and a 2.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio. While those marks look good on their own, it's worth noting that they're well below his usual output. Indeed, that's his worst ERA+ since his rookie season in 2018, and by far the lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio he's posted in the majors. (His previous low was 4.06.)
A look beyond the surface-level statistics suggests that Bieber had other problems brewing. He may have gained a slight amount of velocity compared to last season, yet his swing-and-miss rates have plummeted. Whereas his career whiff mark is 30.6%, he'll head to the shelf with just a 24.4% rate this season. What's more is that Bieber ranks in the eighth percentile in average exit velocity against, suggesting that he's been allowing a lot of loud contact throughout the season.
It's worth noting that there had been speculation that the Guardians might entertain the thought of trading Bieber, who has one year of team control remaining. The chances of such a deal have now taken a hit and, perhaps, so have the Guardians' playoff odds. Cleveland is currently without fellow starters Triston McKenzie (sprained elbow) and Cal Quantrill (shoulder inflammation), necessitating that they turn to a rookie trio of Gavin Williams, Logan Allen, and Tanner Bibee.
