Guardians transfer Shane Bieber to 60-day IL, call up reliever Norris from Columbus
Jul. 24—The Guardians' battered starting rotation took another hit on July 24 when the team announced right-hander Shane Bieber was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL with right elbow inflammation.
Bieber last pitched July 9 in a 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The move to the 60-day IL means Bieber, 5-6 with a 3.77 ERA, can't be activated until Sept. 10 at the earliest.
In an unrelated move, the Guardians optioned relief pitcher Tim Herrin to Triple-A Columbus and purchased the contract of left-handed reliever Daniel Norris from the Clippers.
Herrin was one of seven relievers used July 23 after Xzavion Curry, normally a reliever, pitched three innings to open the game. Herrin was tagged with the loss in the 8-5 defeat when he allowed three runs, two of them earned, when he pitched the ninth inning and couldn't navigate the 10th.
Norris is 30 years old. He has appeared in 209 games over a 12-year career. He has started 86 games and has one career save. He played with the Cubs ad Tigers last season and appeared in 41 games with three starts. He finished 17 games without recording a save. He appeared in one game for the Guardians earlier this season when he pitched the final two innings in Cleveland's 12-3 romp over the Diamondbacks on June 18.
Pitching coach Carl Willis met with reporters July 23 before the Guardians hosted the Phillies and seemed optimistic about Bieber's progress, although he did say doctors planned to meet with Bieber for a further evaluation later in the day. Apparently, the evaluation did not go as well as hoped.
"We're probably a week or so away from him using some weighted balls and starting the arm moving again," Willis said.
Now that plan is on hold, it would appear.
Starting pitchers Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill remain on the injured list. McKenzie has an elbow injury and has made only two starts this season. Quantrill has made only two starts since May 30 and is on the IL for the second time this season with right shoulder inflammation. The Guardians are hopeful McKenzie and Quantrill will both be ready at some point in September.
The Guardians were 49-50, three games behind the front-running Twins in the AL Central, before hosting the Royals on July 24 at Progressive Field. They play the Royals (28-73) for three games and then play the White Sox (41-60) for four games in Chicago with a chance to overtake Minnesota in the division race.
