Tanner Bibee Shows Positive Signs of Health in Four-Inning Outing vs. Dodgers

Tanner Bibee avoided missing an extended period of time following the shoulder inflammation he suffered on Opening Day.

After taking a few days to get back up to speed and comfortable pitching, Bibee ended up not missing any of his scheduled outings on the mound. On Wednesday, March 31, he started for the Cleveland Guardians in a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching four innings.

Although the Guardians weren’t able to pull out the win, falling 4-1, Bibee’s outing was an encouraging sign as he worked through his return and continues to try to build some early-season momentum while on the mound.

“Pretty good the entire way," Bibee said about how he felt. "Not many issues outside of the norms. So we’re good.”

#Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee said after the game his shoulder felt fine:

“Pretty good the entire way. Not many issues outside of the norms. So we’re good”#GuardsBall x @WEWS
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) April 1, 2026

Bibee finished the night on the mound with four innings pitched, giving up four hits, two walks and one earned run. He struck out four batters. He was eventually relieved by Kolby Allard, who was called up to the big league roster just a few days ago.

Manager Stephen Vogt complimented the work that Bibee was able to do, even if there were a couple of batters allowed on the base paths.

“Tanner was outstanding," Vogt said. "Obviously, you know, he reached his pitch count through four, but he threw the ball exceptionally. I thought, you know, he kept the velocity the whole time, no signs of any kind of issue.

"So, really, good job by Tanner kept us in the game.”

#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Tanner Bibee’s 2nd start of the season:

“Tanner was outstanding. Obviously, you know, he reached his pitch count through four, but he threw the ball exceptional. I thought, you know, he kept the velocity the whole time, no signs of any kind of…
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) April 1, 2026

Last season, Bibee tossed a 4.24 ERA across 182.1 innings pitched. He started in 31 games, taking home a 12-11 overall record while on the mound.

He took a bump up in a couple of different statistical categories, including WHIP (1.229), hits per nine innings (8.4), home runs per nine innings (1.3) and walks per nine innings (2.7).

Fortunately, his performance on Tuesday showed that he's taking steps in the right direction, though, to right some of the wrongs he had. He looked more in control on the mound, rotating through his pitching arsenal and limiting bat-to-ball contact.

He's also currently averaging what would be a career-high in strikeouts per nine innings at a mark of 11, which is three higher than the number he posted last season.

“I mean, he had a good mix," Vogt said. "It was kind of… really had no pattern to it. Was throwing all of his pitches. Obviously, the fastball velocity was good, his command was good, and all of his off-speed, he was landing for the most part.

"So, you know, tough to get stuff going with one hit.”

If the Guardians' bats were to be in a better groove, there's a chance that Bibee could've spent more time on the mound, even though he was already at his pitch count. However, it felt like the coaching staff realized the team wasn't in a winning position yet when they turned to Allard, making the decision to remove him from the game easier.

To start the season, the Guardians' bats have had some pretty decent contact, with a few high- velocity strikes, but as a team they've only totaled 37 hits across six games.

“I thought we hit some balls hard, just nothing to show for them," Vogt said. "Kind of, you know, in the air, to the big part of the field. But, you know, obviously, faced a tough pitcher tonight. He was pretty good. And we’re going to continue to work and continue to get better.”

As Cleveland prepares to finish the series against the Dodgers on Thursday night, they'll hope to end the West Coast trip on a high note. Bibee and Messick have given the Guardians' starting arms a better rep, with Gavin Williams being the next in line to continue providing the team with solid play on the mound.