CLEVELAND — Tribe ace Shane Bieber, who has been working his way back to the mound after suffering a shoulder strain in June, isn't going to be making his return as soon as the team may have initially thought.
At the start of July, Manager Terry Francona seemed hopeful Bieber would be returning relatively soon, saying that he was "doing really well" and that "putting a ball in his hand is probably not in the too distant future."
But on Sunday, President Chris Antonetti said that Bieber was not near a return.
"It's just been a little bit slower to respond than maybe we had hoped," Antonetti said. "Something is just lingering in there a little bit. He's continued to feel better but maybe just not at the pace we would normally expect."
After addressing Bieber's slowed return, the team placed the pitcher on the 60-day injured list, making room for pitcher Cam Hill, who has been recovering from wrist surgery all season.
Hill was in a car crash in December, injuring his throwing wrist to the extent it required surgery to repair. Now, in July, Hill has been activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A.
While the Bieber news is less than ideal, the Tribe is looking forward to pitcher Aaron Civale's return, which seems to be on a good trajectory. Civale, who is working through a sprained finger, will throw a fastball-only bullpen session on Tuesday.
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