Guardians' ace Bieber will not throw for 7 days after setback in comeback from Tommy John surgery

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians ace Shane Bieber will not throw for seven days and will have his right elbow rechecked next week after experiencing soreness during a bullpen session on Tuesday.

Bieber met with team doctors and consulted with specialist Dr. Keith Meister on Friday. The right-hander was scheduled to make his second rehab start with Double-A Akron on Friday before the setback.

The seven-day shutdown started on Wednesday. He will be rechecked on June 13 before deciding the next steps. Experiencing soreness during rehab is not uncommon.

Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April 2024. He began his rehab Saturday by throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game on his 30th birthday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner faced nine batters, allowed one hit and struck out five.

Bieber pitched 12 scoreless innings in two starts last season, was limited to 21 starts in 2023 due to elbow issues and 16 starts in 2021 because of a shoulder strain. He agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026.

Bieber is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 136 appearances since debuting with the Guardians in 2018, when he was 11-5 with a 4.55 ERA.

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AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB