GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- It’s already been a big year for Guardians ace Shane Bieber -- and the season hasn’t even started yet.
At the ballpark, the right-hander continues to make positive steps in his recovery from Tommy John surgery he underwent last April. Off the field, Bieber and his wife Kara recently welcomed their first child -- baby boy Kav McClain. He was born on Friday.
"My wife was tremendous,” Bieber said. “ ... We’re all doing well. We have a great support system and family at home. Happy to be back with the guys and going back into work. It’s tough leaving after only three or four days, but we’re lucky to be able to do what we do.”
Back with the Guardians on Monday, Bieber joined his teammates on Field 2 at the team’s player development complex to play catch during a pitchers’ workout. Before he went home for the birth of his son, he had progressed to throwing multiple bullpen sessions per week.
Bieber’s most recent bullpen was the first one in which he threw offspeed pitches; he threw fastballs and changeups. The 29-year-old is happy with his progress; next month is the one-year mark since he underwent surgery.
"Pleasantly surprised with how [my pitches are] playing,” said Bieber, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal in December to return to Cleveland. “Very happy to continue that progress. Really, everything has been going as well as I can expect and hope for.
"I’m hopeful to keep that going.”
Bieber’s next step in the coming weeks will be to add more of his pitches to his bullpen sessions and increase his volume. Once he gets to that point, and his body is recovering well after throwing, he will move on to facing live hitters.
A rehab start would be the next step after that. Bieber is on track to return at some point this summer.
The Guardians have been pleased with Bieber’s progress, but both sides are also keeping the big picture in mind. They know it’s incumbent upon them not to rush the process and remain disciplined to his recovery timeline.
"It's crazy to think that my old UCL had 28 years of buildup, essentially,” Bieber said. "And we're expediting that process, albeit with surgical help, with a new UCL in 12 to 15 months. When you think about it that way, it's like, ‘OK, well, let's check every box and hit every step.’
"We're not skipping any steps, and let's try not to rush anything because it's a lot of stress that you're putting on a new ligament that's getting acclimated to a bunch of microtrauma time after time again.”
During his recovery, Bieber said he has leaned on others who have undergone Tommy John surgery. That includes former teammates Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb, and current teammates Sam Hentges (who underwent the surgery as a Minor Leaguer in 2016), as well as Erik Sabrowski (who underwent the procedure twice while in the Padres’ farm system).
Boyd could be a model of sorts for the Guardians in Bieber’s return to the mound, in terms of being a major boost to the pitching staff during the summer. The Guardians signed Boyd last June, one year after he underwent Tommy John. The lefty made his season debut on Aug. 13 and recorded a 2.72 ERA in eight regular-season starts and a 0.77 ERA in three postseason starts.
Bieber is taking things day by day, and as he put it, putting one foot in front of another. He knows he still has work to do, and fixating on a potential return to the Majors is not entirely productive.
But he did allow himself to look ahead briefly and imagine what it could feel like the first time he toes the rubber to pitch in front of his wife and newborn.
"It’s crazy. You’re going to make me get emotional,” Bieber said. “It’s good, man. It’s something I'm looking forward to so, so much. I’ve just got to get there. I don't have much to say, other than I can't wait. I’m very excited. I'm ready to get back to doing what I love.”