Latest news with #ShaneBieber
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians ace Shane Bieber scheduled to pitch on rehab assignment with Akron RubberDucks
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber and the Guardians plan for the former American League Cy Young Award winner to pitch on a rehab assignment Tuesday, July 29, with the Akron RubberDucks. The Double-A RubberDucks are scheduled to face the Erie SeaWolves, with first pitch set for 12:05 p.m. at Canal Park. Bieber said he hopes to work for four innings or 55 pitches in Akron as he attempts to come back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on April 12, 2024. "It's really just a lot of excitement," Bieber said July 28 in the Guardians clubhouse. "It's a lot of preparation. It's a ton of work. It's been a year and a half nonstop, and I'm looking forward to piling a few extra months onto that. But right now, I feel really good, so I'm just happy to go out there and play catch every day and continue to build and focus on getting my stuff in a great spot to be able to hit the ground running when I'm back in major league action." Guardians news: Closer Emmanuel Clase on leave for gambling investigation. How long is he out? As long as Bieber's scheduled outing in Akron materializes as expected, it would be his fourth rehab start since being placed on the 60-day injured list on March 27. He allowed one run and struck out four in three innings with the High-A Lake County Captains on July 22. Bieber had been slated to pitch in Akron earlier this season, but arm soreness derailed those plans. "All I have to go off of is how I feel right now, and I feel great," Bieber said. "I choose to believe that my path was already kind of laid out for me, and I was probably always leading up to, it's hard to call it a setback, and maybe it's just part of my progression. That's what Dr. [Keith] Meister ended up saying. "I was frustrated to be on such a steady incline and then have a bit of a hiccup right when I start my rehab assignment. It was kind of tough timing, but it could have been worse timing, and so took it in stride, and I'm right back here ready to go and stretch out to four innings and continue to make steps after that. I'm very excited." Q&A: Baseball, movies and hotdogs: 5 questions with outfielder Nolan Jones With the MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. July 31, Bieber is a player who could be dealt. He insisted his rehab has kept his mind off the possibility, though. "No, maybe in years past [I thought about a potential trade]," Bieber said. "I feel like with my situation right now, it's pretty easy to focus on what's most important and that's game action and continuing to build and recover. It's pretty easy to keep perspective right now, so I'm focused on getting back and helping the team and doing that as quickly as possible." Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@ On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians' Shane Bieber scheduled for July 29 rehab start with Akron
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Rosenthal: What I'm hearing about the Guardians' adjusted trade plans, plus more deadline notes
Here's what I'm hearing from major-league sources with less than three full days until the conclusion of the MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET Thursday. The loss of closer Emmanuel Clase to non-disciplinary leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting did not simply deprive the Cleveland Guardians of their top trade chip. It ended any chance of the Guardians becoming a buyer, and likely increased the possibility of the team trading right-hander Shane Bieber and perhaps left fielder Steven Kwan. Advertisement Bieber, recovering from Tommy John surgery in April 2024, is expected to be heavily scouted Tuesday night in a rehab start at Double A. The Guardians re-signed the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner in December to a deal that pays him $10 million this season and gives him a $16 million player option for 2026 – an option Bieber, 30, might very well decline if he comes back strong. Kwan, 27, is earning $4.175 million this season, and under club control through salary arbitration for two years after that. He is drawing 'a ton' of interest, according to a club source, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres believed to be among the teams in the mix. The Guardians intend to set a high bar for their desired return. The combination of Kwan's age, additional years of control and offensive, defensive and baserunning ability make him perhaps the best position player available. He is more than six years younger than Eugenio Suárez, a rental, and his fWAR is 2.8 to Suárez's 3.0. While the Guardians' chances of signing Kwan to an extension might be slim, this will not be their last opportunity to trade him. They can try again this offseason, when they possibly could involve even more teams, as well as the next two deadlines and – if there is no lockout – the 2026-27 offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers, who acquired catcher Danny Jansen from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, are among the teams interested in the Baltimore Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn. While O'Hearn would not be a perfect fit for Milwaukee, the team could find at-bats for him at first base, in left field and at designated hitter. Christian Yelich is the Brewers' primary DH. Andrew Vaughn has filled in well at first for Rhys Hoskins, who is expected to return from a sprained left thumb in mid-to-late August. Switch-hitter Isaac Collins, one of the season's bigger surprises, has emerged as the team's primary left fielder. Advertisement The Brewers, however, entered Monday ranked 21st in slugging percentage by left-handed hitters and 23rd in home runs. O'Hearn, 32, was batting only .218 with a .648 OPS since May 27. But among the Brewers, only Yelich (19) and Jackson Chourio had exceeded his total of 12 homers. O'Hearn, a potential free agent, will be owed about $2.5 million. The Brewers also showed interest in another left-handed hitting first baseman, Josh Naylor, before the Arizona Diamondbacks sent him to the Seattle Mariners. Naylor at the time was owed nearly $4 million. Something to watch with the surging Texas Rangers: Whether they are willing to go over the luxury-tax threshold for the third consecutive season. The Rangers' estimated luxury-tax payroll, per Fangraphs, is $234.9 million. The first threshold is $241 million. As a third-time offender, the Rangers would be taxed at 50 percent for every dollar they spend over the threshold. If they stay under, their penalty rate would reset to 20 percent. Winners of six straight games and nine of 10 entering Monday night, the Rangers were still day to day in determining how aggressively they should buy. If ownership gives the front office the flexibility to exceed the threshold, the Rangers might as well go significantly past the number. It would make little season to end the season say, $1 million over. A trade of right fielder Adolis García, who will be owed approximately $3 million at the deadline, would create additional room under the threshold. The Rangers also could move a pitcher such as right-hander Jon Gray or one of their catchers, Jonah Heim or Kyle Higashioka. But such trades would be self-defeating for a team trying to reach the postseason. The Rangers want to add another right-handed hitter as well as a high-leverage reliever such as the St. Louis Cardinals' Ryan Helsley or Pittsburgh Pirates' David Bednar. Trading García would subtract a right-handed bat, and like many of the Rangers' hitters he is on the upswing. Through May 28, Garcia was batting .208 with a .626 OPS. Since then, he has been better, hitting .256 with and a .728 OPS. He also is an excellent defender, and the Rangers consider him an important part of their club. By awarding president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer a contract extension, the Chicago Cubs effectively reduced the pressure on him at the deadline, at least as far as his job security was concerned. Pittsburgh Pirates GM Ben Cherington, on the other hand, remains in limbo, and not without reason. Hoyer's team is well-positioned for a playoff berth. Cherington's is headed for a sixth straight losing season. Advertisement The question is how owner Bob Nutting will evaluate Cherington's performance at the deadline and beyond. If Nutting judges Cherington partly on how the Pirates finish, a selloff involving Bednar, Mitch Keller and others likely would make the team even less competitive, damaging the GM's standing. But if Cherington takes a passive approach, declining to leverage his ample supply of pitchers to acquire impact hitters, Nutting could fire him for a different reason – failing to put the team in better position for 2026. History suggests that treading lightly could be the wrong play. In 2019, then Pirates-GM Neal Huntington moved rentals Corey Dickerson and Jordan Lyles at the deadline but held on to several rentals and valuable veterans. The Pirates were 47-61, compared to 44-62 now. Nutting fired Huntington after that season. The situation is awkward, to say the least. Whatever path Cherington chooses, he might be doomed. The Chicago White Sox believe they would look ridiculous accepting a mid-tier prospect for a player as talented as center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Their stance is that if they don't land at least one of a trade partner's top 10 prospects for Robert, they will pick up his $20 million option. Teams' top 10 lists vary in quality, but no matter. The prospective suitors, which include the Padres, Phillies and New York Mets, evidently believe the White Sox are bluffing. With only $20.6 million committed to their 2026 payroll, the White Sox certainly could absorb Robert at his option price. But this is a player who appeared in more than 100 games only once in his first four full seasons. He currently is at 86, with 55 games remaining. So far, so good, but a player who is injured as often as Robert typically doesn't warrant a $20 million investment. And if the White Sox decline to trade Robert, who's to say he won't shut down the first time he feels a twinge after the deadline, effectively forcing their hand on the option? Advertisement The White Sox, then, are in something of a no-win position. Trade Robert for the mid-tier prospect teams are offering, and feel short-changed if he returns to the player he was in 2023. Keep him and exercise the option, and assume the risk he will again miss significant time. Keep him and decline the option, and receive nothing in return when he departs as a free agent. The best guess is that in the end, they take what they can get. Four trade candidates started on Monday, with mixed results. The Miami Marlins' Edward Cabrera was the only one to produce a quality start. The Pirates' Keller lasted only two innings. The Orioles' Zach Eflin and Athletics' JP Sears failed to complete five. Tuesday's slate of games includes two starters who could be moved – the Orioles' Charlie Morton and Washington Nationals' Mike Soroka. As of late Monday night, the Orioles' plan was to pitch Morton in their 12:35 ET start against the Toronto Blue Jays unless talks in the morning got hot. The Nationals were taking the same approach with the less coveted Soroka. Morton, 41, has a 3.80 ERA in his last 11 starts. That ERA was even lower before he allowed seven runs to the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start after the break. But he rebounded from that game to hold the Cleveland Guardians to three runs in 6 2/3 innings last Thursday. Among the Marlins in play: Right-handed reliever Anthony Bender, who is earning $1.42 million and under club control through arbitration for two additional seasons. Bender, 30, throws 45 percent sweepers, 27 percent sinkers and 22 percent sliders, according to Statcast. He entered Monday with a 1.83 ERA in 44 1/3 innings, but an expected 3.48 ERA that was nearly twice as high. His strikeout rate had dropped from 25.9 percent last season to 19.9 percent in this one. His lofty groundball rate also had dipped slightly, from 51.7 to 50.4 percent. But the San Diego Padres, among other clubs, were considering him. And finally, the New York Yankees, in doing their background work on third baseman Ryan McMahon, checked with some of his former teammates with the Colorado Rockies. One of those former teammates was the player whose release effectively created the opening for McMahon – DJ LeMahieu. The two played together in Colorado in 2017-18, and LeMahieu gave the Yankees a strong recommendation. Advertisement LeMahieu, 37, plans to wait until the trade deadline passes before signing with another team. He didn't want to join a club, and then suddenly find his spot in jeopardy if his new team acquired another player. The Athletic's Stephen J. Nesbitt contributed reporting. (Top photo of Steven Kwan:)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians get Tommy John injury update on Shane Bieber
The Cleveland Guardians will look to get over the .500 mark on Saturday in their doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. As the series starts, it will be an important one for both sides as the Guardians continue to battle for a Wild Card spot and are only 1.5 games ahead of the Royals in the AL Central. Before the series began on Saturday, the Guardians were fortunate to announce a new injury update on former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber as he continues to rehab his elbow after going through Tommy John surgery in April of 2024. The Guardians' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, announced that Bieber is set to make a rehab appearance for the team on Sunday. Bieber, 30, made his first start on the mound since injuring his elbow on July 22 with High-A Lake County, throwing 43 pitches in three innings. He hasn't seen the major league mound since April 2, 2024. His expected return to the Guardians is sometime in mid-August. The right-handed pitcher from Orange, California, has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball since making his debut in 2018. The two-time All-Star was voted as the unanimous Cy Young Award winner in 2020 while achieving the pitching Triple Crown in the same year. In his 134 career starts, Bieber has an impressive career stat line that includes a 62-32 record, 3.22 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and has struck out 958 batters in 843 innings pitched.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB Rumors: Big Update Emerges on Yankees and Mets Potential Trade for Pair of Impact Pitchers
Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets are on the hunt to improve their bullpens before the July 31st MLB trade deadline. A new report has offered a major update on a pair of big-time relief pitchers that are officially up for grabs. 'Guardians are listening on relievers, including stars Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clasé,' New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman reported on Saturday. 'Prices are understandably high. They are seen as not too likely to trade either top pen guy, and with MLB's easiest closing schedule, they aren't even a certain seller.' There have been a lot of MLB rumors suggesting star closer Clase could be available before this month's trade deadline. However, heading into the MLB games today, the Guardians are just 4.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. While they have struggled this year, they will get back two-time All-Star Shane Bieber next month. That is why Heyman isn't willing to call them sellers this month just yet. What adding Smith and/or Clase means for the Yankees and Mets Cade Smith is only in his second season in the big leagues, but the 26-year-old has emerged as one of the better relievers in the American League. He has a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider. He would be a very nice addition for either the Yankees or Mets, and he is under team control until 2029. Meaning he has the potential to be a future closer option for either club. However, Clase is the true prize of the Guardian's pen. He is a three-time All-Star who posted an absurd 0.61 ERA in 2024. While he isn't posting the same numbers this year, he still has a sub-3.00 ERA, 21 saves, and a 44-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is under team control for three more seasons. Clase joining the Yankees would give them an impressive late-inning trio with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. The Mets have an All-Star closer in Edwin Diaz. But he and Clase would be the best one-two punch from the pen in the entire league. Related Headlines New York Mets 'Interested' In Trade for Unheralded, Cheap Reliever MLB Trade Rumors: 2 Teams Actively Pursuing Eugenio Suarez Trade WATCH: Rory McIlroy Involved in Bizarre and Hilarious Moment During Round 3 of The Open Reporter predicts how many games Kansas City Chiefs' Rashee Rice will be suspended
Washington Post
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Steven Kwan out of Guardians' lineup against the Athletics with right wrist soreness
CLEVELAND — Guardians All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan was out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics due to nagging right wrist soreness. Manager Stephen Vogt said Kwan's status is day-to-day and that he has been dealing with wrist issues for over a month. Kwan left a May 28 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to wrist inflammation. After playing in Tuesday night's All Star Game, Kwan met with doctors on Wednesday and received an injection. Kwan's infield hit in the ninth inning drove in Bobby Witt Jr. with the tying run in the All-Star Game. The contest was tied at 6 after nine innings and was decided by a swing-off for the first time, which was won by the National League. 'We encouraged him to go play in the All-Star Game. He earned the right. We knew this was coming,' Vogt said. It is only the sixth missed game for Kwan, who is batting .285 with six home runs and 32 RBIs. Pitcher Shane Bieber will make his next rehab start on Tuesday for either Triple-A Columbus or Single-A Lake County. Bieber — working his way back from Tommy John surgery in April 2024 — tossed two scoreless innings and struck out five on Tuesday in an Arizona Complex League outing. It was the first game action for the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner since he experienced soreness during a bullpen session on June 3. Infielder Gabriel Arias began a rehab assignment for Triple-A Columbus on Friday night. Arias sprained his left ankle against St. Louis on June 29. Right-hander Nic Enright was recalled from Columbus after Paul Sewald was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to a right shoulder strain. Prospect Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's amateur draft, was activated off the injured list by Double-A Akron after missing two months due to an oblique strain. The second baseman has a .252 batting average with four home runs, 17 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 33 games for the RubberDucks. ___ AP baseball:
