Guardians

Guardians could face pitching depth test as Tanner Bibee exits opener with shoulder tightness

Published: Mar. 27, 2026, 3:23 p.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians’ season-opening victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday was tempered by a concerning development that could test the team’s admittedly thin pitching depth: starter Tanner Bibee left the game after five innings due to shoulder tightness.

Bibee, making his first opening day start, struck out seven batters but allowed three solo home runs before departing before throwing a pitch in the sixth inning. The 24-year-old right-hander told reporters after the game that his shoulder wasn’t feeling right during his outing.

“It would start hurting, it would come and go, the pain would come and go,” Bibee told reporters. He explained that before the sixth inning, “It got to a point where he couldn’t give his best effort,” beat writer Paul Hoynes said. “He didn’t want to hurt himself or the team.”

The timing of the injury is particularly problematic for Cleveland’s pitching staff. Hoynes, speaking on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, emphasized the seriousness of the situation.

“This is kind of a serious moment,” Hoynes said. “Their starting pitching depth is thin, it’s not that deep.”

The Guardians have not yet announced their next course of action. The team is waiting to see how Bibee feels before determining whether to order an MRI or place him on the injured list. Bibee reportedly felt better after the game, but the organization has not made a decision on his status.

Bibee’s next scheduled start would come against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Hoynes speculated that the team would likely take a cautious approach given the circumstances.

“If there’s any hint of Bibbe still being hurt, I can’t see them risking pitching him against the Dodgers this early in the season and maybe really have it develop into a really serious problem,” Hoynes said.

If Bibee does land on the injured list, the Guardians would likely turn to Logan Allen as the most obvious internal replacement option. Allen, who lost the fifth rotation spot to Parker Messick during spring training, “did not have that greatest spring,” according to Hoynes, but would be “the number one choice” to fill in.

The situation is complicated by extreme temperature shifts between Seattle, where the opener was played in 50-degree weather, and Los Angeles, where temperatures are expected to reach the 90s for the upcoming series. These fluctuations between Arizona spring training and the regular season schedule may have played a role in Bibee’s discomfort, though the exact cause remains unknown.

Despite the concerning circumstances, there may be a silver lining in how Bibee handled the situation. Rather than attempting to pitch through pain, the young starter showed maturity by alerting the training staff immediately.

Podcast host Joe Noga noted this represented growth for a pitcher who previously fought through cramping issues and argued with the team about ending his season early with a hip injury last year.

“Not in any way questioning his toughness, but maybe a sign of growth there that know, a kid who probably would have tried to pitch through something in the past like this recognizes that it’s better to live to fight another day,” Noga said.

Bibee finished last season tied for the team lead in wins with 12, and had already established himself as a key piece of Cleveland’s rotation. His extended absence would force the Guardians to rely on their limited depth far earlier than anticipated in what already projects to be a challenging season for starting pitching.

The team expects to have more information in the coming days as they continue to monitor Bibee’s condition.

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Guardians Give Injury Update After Tanner Bibee’s Early Exit

Tommy Wild

Partner

Tanner Bibee was named the Cleveland Guardians Opening Day starter for the 2025 season, but didn’t take the mound due to falling ill.

Thursday was supposed to be Bibee’s redemption outing as he earned the honor as the team’s Opening Day starter, but he couldn’t get through the entire start.

Bibee went out to the mound for the sixth inning, but clearly felt discomfort during his warmups.

Steven Vogt, accompanied by Cleveland trainer Jeff Desjardins, walked out to the mound, and after a brief conversation, Bibee walked off the mound and exited the start prematurely.

It was unclear exactly what forced Bibee to leave the game early, but the team announced later on in the game that the starting pitcher exited with right shoulder inflammation.

Manager Stephen Vogt said after the game that this was a new injury for Bibee. Cleveland’s skipper also mentioned the injury wasn’t something that occurred on a single pitch or play, but something he was dealing with and feeling throughout the start.

“He was examined. He's strong. He's feeling good,” said Vogt after the game.

“We just have to see how he feels in the next couple of days coming out of it, but definitely the right call for him to let us know he was feeling it… As he was throwing his warm-ups, he felt it was enough to come get us. And he's tough and he's throwing all these guys throw through so much discomfort. So I'm really glad he didn't try to push through it."

Vogt also pointed out that Bibee “hasn’t pitched in this kind of weather” this year, which is a fair point. The temperature was routinely hitting triple-digits out in Arizona, while the first pitch temperature in Seattle was 52 degrees.

Before his night came to an end, Bibee gave up three earned runs (all home runs) in 5.0 innings of work, while striking out seven hitters and issuing two walks. Bibee faced some adversity early on, but didn’t let those solo home runs unravel his start.

Hopefully, this isn’t an injury that keeps Bibee out too long.

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Rhys Hoskins Already Has A Career Milestone With Guardians

March 27, 2026

By Mike Battaglino

The Cleveland Guardians’ season opener went just about as well as anyone could have hoped, other than a potential setback for starting pitcher Tanner Bibee. They completed a 6-4 victory against the Seattle Mariners with notable performances by two newcomers to the lineup.

Somewhat overshadowed by the two home runs from rookie Chase DeLauter was the three-hit Guardians debut by Rhys Hoskins. Batting sixth as the starting first baseman, Hoskins had two singles, a walk, and a very well-struck double.

With that extra-base hit in his first Cleveland at-bat, Hoskins already has a career milestone with the Guardians, as it was the hardest hit ball of his MLB career.

“Welcome to Cleveland Rhys Hoskins! This double is the hardest hit ball of Rhys Hoskins’ MLB career (112.3 mph). Talk about starting your Cleveland tenure with a bang,” Potosky posted on X.

Facing Mariners starter Logan Gilbert with one out in the top of the second, Hoskins doubled for his first hit in a Cleveland uniform. The drive down the left-field line into the corner impressively came on an 0-2 pitch.

Later in the game, Hoskins led off the fifth inning with a single and scored on a two-run double by Brayan Rocchio that gave Cleveland the lead. In the sixth, Hoskins singled, and in the eighth, he walked, ending his debut with a 1.000 batting average.

Hoskins was a bit surprisingly used at first base, with Kyle Manzardo serving as the DH, which was the opposite of the alignment that was used during most of spring training. Manager Stephen Vogt explained that by saying that Manzardo will be in the field a lot in the coming days, with more right-handed pitchers coming up, and the matchup against Gilbert was a good spot to get Hoskins into the lineup.

The 33-year-old was signed near the start of spring training after the Guardians failed to make any significant additions to their offense leading up to that point of the offseason, and though Hoskins did not hit a home run, the fact that he could reach a career-high exit velocity in his first at-bat of the season is an encouraging sign looking ahead.

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What to Expect From Gavin Williams in His 2026 Season Debut for the Guardians

Williams' 2025 campaign was by far the best of his career, making his 2026 season debut on Friday night even more important for him to continue building confidence and momentum

Cade Cracas

3 hours ago

All offseason, the Cleveland Guardians’ right-hander drew praise from national analysts, many of whom believe this could be the year he breaks out and enters the Cy Young conversation. On Friday, March 27, he’ll get his first opportunity to back that up, taking the mound against the Seattle Mariners in his season debut.

Earlier this offseason, manager Stephen Vogt highlighted that Williams was focused on having his best season yet.

“In the three years I've known Gavin, I've never seen him this focused or determined. He had a tremendous offseason,” Vogt said. “The last few months [of 2025], I don't think we could have drawn up a better stretch than what Gavin Williams did for us.

"I’m really thrilled to see him come in ready to go. But there is a different determination about him. He wants to be one of the best. He knows he's one of the best, and that's a really good feeling for us.”

With the Guardians already securing a win on Opening Day, Williams will take the ball with a chance to keep that momentum rolling. Against a Mariners lineup that showed its power with four home runs the night prior, his ability to command the strike zone and mix pitches will be key.

A Comfortable Spring

It wasn't an eye-popping spring for Williams, but that may be a good thing.

Across five starts, he showed strong command and efficiency, striking out 19 batters while walking just two. He finished with a 1.19 WHIP, consistently working ahead in counts and limiting free passes.

More importantly, it wasn’t just the numbers that looked good, but his pitching arsenal as well.

Williams has traditionally leaned on his four-seam fastball, curveball and sweeper, occasionally mixing in a cutter and sinker. However, those have been used less than 15% of the time in years past. One of the biggest developments late last season, and something that carried into spring, was the increased effectiveness of his sinker.

He is expected to utilize it far more often in 2026, especially as a way to keep opposing batters on their toes. That would give him five pitches he's very comfortable using.

Against a heavy-hitting Mariners squad that bashed four solo home runs last night off starter Tanner Bibee, Williams will likely stretch the strike zone and rotate through different pitches to find what can best keep the opposition at bay.

Williams' Strong Finish to 2025

Much of the optimism surrounding him stems from what he did at the end of last season during a stretch where the Guardians climbed all the way back to win the American League Central.

In his regular-season finale, he pitched through six innings on the mound, allowing just four hits and two earned runs, all while striking out an impressive 12 batters. The Guardians went on to win that game, 5-2, pushing Williams' overall record to 12-5 as a starting pitcher.

That type of performance wasn't very surprising, though, as the back-half of the campaign was where he thrived.

Just a month earlier, Williams had nearly come away with a no-hitter in a game against the New York Mets.

He had gone through eight innings of action and was approaching 130 pitches when superstar Juan Soto spoiled his potential historic performance. He crushed a solo home run with two outs to go in the game, ending what would've been the Guardians' first no-hitter since Len Barker's perfect game way back in 1981.

“It didn’t matter if I went to 140 pitches," he said at the time. "I would have done it anyway. It was pretty special to be out there. You never know when that’s gonna happen again.”

He finished the outing with just one hit and four walks given up while striking out six batters across 8.2 innings of action.

To many, it was obvious that Williams had emerged as arguably the Guardians’ most effective starter, posting the lowest ERA among the rotation.

If he can start off the year with the momentum he built at the end of 2025, while leaning into his calm and poised demeanor that he's known for, Cleveland will be in good hands as they look to win a game that would at least clinch a series split against the Mariners.

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Two Big Takeaways From the Cleveland Guardians' Opening Day Win Over Seattle

The Guardians were able to sneak away with a 6-4 victory over the Mariners in the first game of the 2026 MLB regular season.

Cade Cracas

10 hours ago

The Cleveland Guardians have done it.

After weeks of speculating how Opening Day would go, especially with many players still being so new to the organization, the Guardians' roster banded together and were able to secure a victory.

On Thursday, March 26, the Guardians were able to rally behind outfield prospect Chase DeLauter to win, 6-4, in the team's first game of the 2026 MLB regular season. While many of the headlines are being dominated by DeLauter’s stellar two-home run performance, there are two other major takeaways from the Guardians’ outing.

Is Tanner Bibee Going to Be Okay?

Although Bibee gave up three home runs in his first game on the mound in 2026, he actually looked alright. He was utilizing a lot of different pitches to try and spread out his arsenal, with his final pitch count coming in at 78 on six different types of pitches.

His final line of Thursday night came in at four hits, three home runs and three earned runs given up, while walking two batters. However, he did strike out seven, showing good command when he wasn't tossing a heater right down the middle.

But when it looked like he was settling into the game as he hovered around 80 pitches, something didn't feel right.

The Cleveland coaching staff came out and immediately pulled him out of the game, turning to the bullpen to try and keep the game close. Fortunately, they would, but taking a starter out of the first game of the year due to injury is never a positive sign.

After the game concluded, Bibee spoke to the media and answered questions about how he was feeling.

“It was kind of off and on the entire time, and I think just kind of got to a point where… I felt like I couldn't really battle through it and give my best stuff," Bibee said. "So, I mean, I feel like it got to a point where I didn't want to hurt myself or hurt the team in turn.

“...I had all my tests in there, and I think I was strong in a good majority of them. So I feel like it's just… when I wake up tomorrow, see how it feels, if it feels worse or feels better.”

Some Tanner Bibee post game quotes on his exit due to right shoulder inflammation:

“I feel pretty good, obviously frustrated. But, I mean, I feel like I just didn't feel great on the mound during those warm ups, but a little better, so.”

“It was kind of off and on the entire… https://t.co/vXIA3DpVS1

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) March 27, 2026
The Guardians will likely play it safe with the 27-year-old, as with the season just starting, they'd hate to lose out on one of the most important members of the starting rotation.

With the Guardians still amid a four-game set against the Mariners, followed by a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team cannot afford to be without Bibee. There may be a chance, if he has to end up on the injured list, that the Guardians jump right back to Logan Allen in Triple-A to come help out.

Rhys Hoskins Looked Great

Many questioned the Guardians' decision to go out and sign a right-handed first baseman this offseason. Not because he was a righty, something that the Guardians needed, but rather because over the past couple of seasons he had been struggling to find consistency.

Over the course of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns with the Milwaukee Brewers, he had slashed .223/.314/.418 for an OPS of .732. It wasn't necessarily good batting, but the Guardians saw something they liked.

And fortunately for them, it has already paid off.

In the Guardians' win, Hoskins was one of the players who, like DeLauter, provided the team with an extra spark at the plate. He went 3-for-3, with two singles and a double, all while also being able to score a run.

He also anchored first base well, showing very little signs of issues on the fielding side of his game.

Cleveland desperately needed a reliable No. 2 next to Kyle Manzardo, and it seems like they may have found their guy.

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