Injured ace Shane Bieber throws cold water on MLBPA's fiery pitch clock claims

The Cleveland Guardians were dealt a tough blow over the weekend when they learned that right-hander Shane Bieber would require Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his 2024 season and casting doubt on his future.

With the rash of pitcher injuries, many have criticized Major League Baseball for the pitch clock that was implemented prior to the 2023 season. Even the MLB Players Association has made it known that they are not fans of the pitch clock and believe it is responsible for all the pitching injuries over the past two seasons.

However, Bieber himself doesn't seem to think that's the issue, and went on the record to say he doesn't believe it has had too much of a negative effect on pitchers.

"I'm not ready to say that that's the reason it happened," said the former Cy Young winner, h/t the Associated Press. "From a conditioning and cardiovascular standpoint, that hasn't affected pitchers, I don't think, so it's hard to say what's going on in the inner workings of the elbow and the arm. We'll see what's to come of it."

Shane Bieber doesn't blame pitch clock for elbow injury

Obviously, the pitch clock has been the center of much criticism from fans, media members, and even players. But for Bieber to come out and say that he doesn't think it's the main issue is certainly important, especially coming from a pitcher.

Bieber missed significant time last year with an elbow injury and posted an uncharacteristic 3.80 ERA in his 21 starts. This year's elbow issues are obviously connected to last year's and stand to reason why Bieber's performance has declined.

He was off to a good start this season before the injury claimed him, having not allowed an earned run over 12 innings of work and recording 20 strikeouts, seemingly returning to form. But he ultimately succumbed to more elbow troubles.

Still, having Bieber not blame the pitch clock is important, and it shows at least some pitchers haven't been negatively affected by it.

Other pitchers who recently went down with elbow injuries include Spencer Strider, Eury Perez, Trevor Gott, Lucas Giolito and Jonathan Loaisiga.

Bieber is set to enter free agency at the end of the 2024 season, and his recovery from Tommy John surgery may ultimately have a negative effect on his market. It's very likely that any team looking to sign him won't be giving him a long-term deal.

Some teams may ultimately want to stay away from him due to his recent history with elbow injuries.