Tanner Bibee opened the season as the Guardians’ Game 1 starter, but his postseason path has turned into something far less defined.
With Cleveland two wins from the World Series, manager Stephen Vogt said Sunday that Bibee’s current job is not the traditional one fans might expect from a pitcher who helped anchor the rotation during the regular season. After one rough appearance in the playoffs, Bibee is now being treated as a flexible piece.
“He’s a length option, a bulk role,” Vogt said Sunday before Game 5 of the ALCS against Tampa Bay. “You saw Game 4 (ALDS), when we brought him in the fifth, it was to face at least three hitters. So he’s ready.”
Bibee has only pitched once this postseason, and that outing came in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the White Sox on Oct. 8. He faced three batters, gave up two earned runs, walked two and struck out one while getting just one out.
That usage reflects how the Guardians have had to reshape things in October. During the regular season, Cleveland leaned on a rotation that stayed steady almost all year, with five pitchers handling most of the starts. But with the ALCS tied 2-2, the club looks to have only two conventional starters it can trust to begin games: Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.
Bibee, meanwhile, may be asked to fill whatever gap opens up.
“That’s part of the role, yes,” Vogt said when asked whether Bibee has essentially become his extra-innings security blanket. “If you look at the way all of these games have gone, there really hasn’t been too many lopsided. They’ve all been very close, very intense.”
The Guardians’ schedule only makes the picture messier. Messick is set to start Sunday’s Game 5 against Drew Rasmussen, and Cleveland still hasn’t named a starter for Monday’s Game 6 in Tampa. Williams could work on short rest, but Vogt said handling four straight games after Friday’s rainout creates a challenge the team has not dealt with this season.
“I have a feeling Tanner’s going to factor into this series one way or another,” Vogt said.
That could mean Bibee comes out of the bullpen Sunday in bulk relief, takes on a larger role Monday or gets used in some other fashion if the series goes to Game 7.
Vogt said fitting all 13 pitchers on the postseason roster into the right spots has been a difficult task, especially with so many games staying tight.
“It’s been tough, I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Vogt said. “Tanner’s been a huge part of our success for the last three years.”
For now, Bibee is simply waiting for his next assignment, even if it looks a lot different from the one he carried into the year. With Cleveland possibly needing to get through three games in three days to reach the World Series, that “security blanket” may be needed before long.
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