Guardians' Shane Bieber 'Not Ready to Say' Pitch Clock Caused Injury amid MLB Debate

As the debate wears on regarding the effects the pitch clock has had on injuries around MLB, Cleveland Guardians hurler Shane Bieber didn't blame the rule changes on his unfortunate situation.

Bieber, who will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, told reporters on Monday that he's "not ready to say" what caused his elbow injury.

"Obviously, the conversations are happening," Bieber said (h/t TMZ). "They're continuing to grow louder and they're happening quite a bit more often. So, we'll see what's to come of it. For me, I'm not ready to say what it is. I guarantee it's a combination of a number of factors. And also, all of that on top of logging a lot of innings from now all the way back into college and high school."

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark issued a statement over the weekend regarding the union's concern over the uptick in pitcher injuries following the league's rule changes, singling out the pitch clock that was introduced in 2023.

"Despite unanimous player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the commissioner's office reduced the length of the pitch clock last December, just one season removed from imposing the most significant rule change in decades," Clark stated. "Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified.

"The league's unwillingness thus far to acknowledge or study the effects of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset — the players."

Pitchers were given 15 seconds to throw with no baserunners and 20 seconds when someone was on base during the 2023 season. In December, the league's competition committee approved a change to 18 seconds while runners are on base.

In addition to Bieber's injury, the first week of the 2024 season saw the New York Yankees also lose reliever Jonathan Loaisiga to season-ending UCL surgery and the Atlanta Braves place starter Spencer Strider on the injured list with an elbow injury.

The loss of Bieber is devastating to the Guardians staff, as he's a two-time All-Star and he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020. He added on Monday that he initially felt irritation during his Opening Day start against the Oakland A's, but he assumed it was just soreness and cold temperatures.

The Guardians (7-2) will be looking to extend their win streak to five games when they meet the Chicago White Sox (1-8) on Monday night.