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Bibee

Bibee got the go-ahead to make his scheduled start after exiting his Opening Day game with shoulder inflammation. He stranded one baserunner in each of the first three innings before the Dodgers brought a run in on three hits in the fourth. Bibee’s day would be done after four frames at 74 pitches. He struck out four on seven swinging strikes. Bibee’s fastball velocity was one to watch. The four-seamer seemed to wane after the first inning, falling from 95 mph to 92 mph, but it might have been a classification issue as his sinker held strong at 95 mph. Rain throughout the game could also have played a role. Still, it was a good result overall. The 27-year-old right-hander should go back into fantasy lineups when he takes on the Royals in Cleveland on Monday.

Bibee completed a 26-pitch bullpen session over the weekend without any issues and has been cleared to take the ball against the two-time defending World Series champions in Los Angeles. It’s such a daunting matchup that fantasy managers were likely strongly considering alternatives to begin with this week. The positive news is that Bibee won’t require a trip to the injured list after exiting his season-opening start against the Mariners last week with shoulder inflammation.

If his arm bounces back on Sunday, he’s likely to make his next start as scheduled Tuesday against the Dodgers. Of course, that is a tough assignment, and since the Guardians are off Thursday, it’s likely to be Bibee’s only start of the week. It probably makes sense to sit him in mixed leagues.

“He’s doing much better,” Vogt told reporters on Friday after Bibee was removed from Thursday’s season-opening start against the Mariners with right shoulder inflammation. The 27-year-old right-hander is officially day-to-day for now, but it sounds like there’s a realistic chance he takes the ball on Tuesday night. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session this weekend to determine whether he’s ready. It’s a tough spot for fantasy managers since Bibee is likely to have some workload restrictions while also facing an extremely challenging Death Star-caliber lineup. It’s a positive sign that he might avoid a trip to the injured list, but fantasy managers should probably leave him on the bench next week.

That’s no good. Bibee was removed while warming up for the sixth inning tonight. After the game, he said the injury was a new one, and he got to the point where he felt like he “couldn’t battle through it.” Given his comments, even if the injury proves to be relatively minor, we imagine he’ll spend some time on the IL. Logan Allen is the obvious choice to replace him in the Cleveland rotation, though the Guardians could recall Codi Heuer until a start is needed against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Bibee came back out for the sixth after allowing three runs in five innings, but something happened during warmups that resulted in a visit from the trainer. Manager Stephen Vogt followed and lifted Bibee from the tie game. Bibee struck out seven before leaving. Three solo homers accounted for all of the damage against him. If Bibee misses some time, Logan Allen would presumably be recalled to replace him in the rotation.

Bibee was left in to get the pitch count up, and thankfully it happened in exhibition season. The right-hander allowed two homers, and in his final two spring starts he gave up a total of 23 hits and 14 runs. Not great. Bibee’s next outing comes Opening Day against the Mariners.

Bibee gets the nod after going 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 2025 for the Guardians and helping Cleveland secure a postseason berth. He’s a solid if unspectacular fantasy option for 2026, and it’s worth noting that first start will come in the cool Seattle weather in a pitcher-friendly park.

Bibee had been looking pretty strong this spring, but his fastball was down one mph today and the A’s really punished him for hanging around the strike zone. He threw 85 pitches to 30 hitters, with 25 of those getting put into play for 15 hard-hit balls and three homers. Hopefully, his velocity will return next time out.

Bibee struck out six and didn’t hand out a free pass, scattering four hits. He built up his workload to 71 pitches (52 strikes) in his latest outing and holds a microscopic 2.13 ERA across 12 2/3 innings of work this spring. There seems to be a wide range of opinions on the 27-year-old righty but he’s comfortably in the top-50 range among starting pitchers this spring and fits nicely as a SP3 in fantasy rotations.