CINCINNATI -- Shane Bieber’s rehab from Tommy John surgery appears on track to take another step forward in the near future.
"I sat down with [senior vice president, medical services] Lonnie Soloff on Thursday morning,” pitching coach Carl Willis said on Sunday. “We started to put down the first draft of a rehabilitation calendar. I know that his live batting practice his last time [on Friday] was really, really good.
“We saw, I think, 92 to 94 [mph] with the fastball in that live BP setting. So he's continuing to move forward. He hadn't had any issues. And the next steps are very soon."
The next steps would figure to include Bieber pitching in a game, likely down in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League to start. Manager Stephen Vogt noted on April 27 that the right-hander (as well as reliever Trevor Stephan and utility man David Fry) was projected to begin game activity in Arizona sometime in May.
Looking further out, if all continues to go well with Bieber, a rehab assignment with a Guardians Minor League affiliate would figure to follow. While no two recoveries are exactly the same, lefty Matthew Boyd followed that track last season, when he was coming back from Tommy John surgery he underwent in June 2023.
Boyd made one start in the ACL, two with Double-A Akron and two with Triple-A Columbus.
Bieber, who underwent Tommy John surgery last April after making two starts, threw his first live BP on May 2, which marked the first time he faced hitters since he underwent surgery. Vogt also noted on Saturday that the live BP on Friday went “really well.”
Even as they outline a multiweek calendar that could prove to be a roadmap for Bieber’s return, the Guardians are taking his process day by day and week by week. They hesitate to share the full calendar with the player, even. It’s a privy approach for any guy coming back from an injury, to ensure they don’t rush anything or skip any steps.
“I think everyone's understanding that there could be adjustments that need to be made as you go,” Willis said. “Occasionally a guy will need an extra day. ... You don't want a player to look at ‘OK, here's the end date. Here's what I'm working for.’ And all of a sudden, in the middle of this process, maybe there's a day of a little more soreness, a little more fatigue.
“I trust Shane Bieber more than any pitcher maybe I've ever had. But they don't want to jeopardize that end goal. So really sharing a week at a time sometimes is better.”