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Guardians' Tanner Bibee Shares Injury Update After Mariners Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joey Mistretta | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 9:12 AM ET

The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Seattle Mariners by a final score of 6-4 on Opening Day. Tanner Bibee, however, exited the game with a shoulder injury concern after five innings of three-run baseball. He struck out seven as well. Bibee shared an injury update after the contest, via Tim Stebbins of MLB.com.

"Tanner Bibee was feeling a bit better postgame. He said the shoulder issue tonight was new. It got to a point where he felt like he couldn't battle through it/give his best stuff and didn't want to hurt himself or the team. Will see how he feels on Saturday," Stebbins wrote on X.

According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Bibee was battling right shoulder inflammation. Cleveland will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Bibee, 27, is in his fourth MLB season. He has been quite durable since entering the big leagues. As a rookie in 2023, the right-hander made 25 starts. He has made exactly 31 starts in each of the past two seasons.

After back-to-back strong years in 2023 and 2024, Bibee struggled in 2025. He turned in a 4.24 ERA across 182.1 innings of work. He still gave Cleveland a respectable amount of innings, and the Guardians still view him as an ace given his 2026 Opening Day starter status.

Guardians Defeat Mariners Despite Bibee's Injury

Chase DeLauter (24) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle MarinersSteven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Guardians' offense stepped up on Opening Day.

Chase DeLauter, one of Cleveland's most exciting prospects, went 3-5 with two home runs. Guardians star Jose Ramirez added a hit and two RBIs in the victory. The lineup has questions, but it found success on Thursday night.

Chase DeLauter has arrived.

It's not too early to start the AL Rookie of the Year conversation.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/lFhgt8niJY
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 27, 2026

The bullpen also performed quite well. Four pitchers combined to surrender just one run across four innings of work. Cade Smith, who is one of baseball's best closers, earned his first save of the season.

The Guardians picked Bibee up after he exited with the injury. Cleveland and Seattle will play once again on Friday night at 9:45 PM EST. The Guardians and Mariners will then play two more games in Seattle on Saturday and Sunday to complete the four-game season-opening series.

Cleveland will look to carry its momentum from the Opening Day win into the rest of the series. Meanwhile, the Guardians will monitor and provide updates on Tanner Bibee's injury status as they are made available.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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