Ace Indians Shane Bieber recently tested positive for COVID-19, said President of Basic Operations, Chris Antonetti MLB.com’s Mandy Bell and other reporters on Thursday. Bieber had “Very, very mild symptoms,” according to Antonetti, and the Indians hope that the dexter will join them in the camp in the next few days.
Of course, there is no more valuable member of the Indian team than Bieber, who won the American League’s Cy Young award in 2020 and was probably the sport’s top pitcher. The 25-year-old showed a surprising ERA of 1.63 / 2.52 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 41.1 percent, a walk rate of 7.1 percent and a mark of 48.4 percent in the groundball at 77 1/3 innings.
Assuming he returns to health soon, Bieber is expected to take the ball to Cleveland on opening day. The rotation of the club went through changes in this off-season with the exchange of Carlos Carrasco for Mets, but it still looks like a talented group with Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Triston McKenzie among those who continue to complement Bieber.