Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery, a major blow to the team and the 2020 Cy Young winner.

Bieber, who missed several months last season with elbow issues, experienced pain following an Opening-Day start in Oakland and again this week against Seattle. The right-hander underwent imaging tests, and reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament was recommended by several doctors.

The recovery time can take up to 16 months following the surgery.

“He’s devastated by it,” Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said on a Zoom call. “He feels as though he is letting a lot of people down. And I tried to reassure Shane that couldn’t be further from the truth because he embodies what it means to be a professional, what it means to be a great teammate and a great leader.”

Incredibly, Bieber pitched 12 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts in his first two starts despite feeling pain in the elbow. Both he and the team had hoped it would calm down, but the discomfort only worsened.

“He really put in a ton of work this winter and throughout spring training and we all felt he was on a good path to stay healthy and contribute for the balance of the season,” Antonetti said. “But ultimately when he got back into games and faced the stress of the major league environment, it just was too much for him.”

Bieber returned to Cleveland this week to be examined, and made the decision to have the surgery on Friday, Antonetti said.

Bieber is entering his final year under contract with the Guardians, who are off to a 6-2 start under first-year manager Stephen Vogt heading into Saturday’s game in Minnesota.

Antonetti said Dr. Keith Meister will perform Bieber’s surgery in Dallas in the near future.

The 28-year-old Bieber is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 134 career starts with Cleveland. He led the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts in the pandemic-shortened ’20 season.

BRAVES: Right-hander Spencer Strider has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, an MRI revealed, leaving his status for the remainder of the season in doubt.

The Braves said Strider will be evaluated further by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, at a date to be determined. Even though the team did not announce the severity of the damage, Atlanta Manager Brian Snitker said the result “wasn’t good.”

“You hate that,” Snitker said. “You hate it for him. I feel really bad for him. I mean, the kid does everything right. Loves to compete. … We’ll just wait and see what they decide to do. … I’m sure they’ll have something in a few days.”

Strider complained about discomfort in his elbow after pitching four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, in Atlanta’s 6-5 win over Arizona on Friday night.

YANKEES: With a downcast look and a soft voice, New York Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga said he needs season-ending elbow surgery and will be sidelined for 10 to 12 months.

A 29-year-old right-hander, Loáisiga said he felt a pop in his elbow while throwing a changeup to Jorge Barrosa, his final batter in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 6-5, 11-inning win at Arizona.

Also Saturday, third baseman DJ LeMahieu said he has resumed baseball activities as he recovers from a broken right foot caused by a foul ball on March 16.

Loáisiga has a forearm strain caused by a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will have surgery with Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister. Loáisiga had Tommy John surgery with Yankees head team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on May 1, 2016, and returned to the mound in June 2017 in the Gulf Coast League.

Loáisiga said he anticipates this operation will be ligament repair rather than replacement, known as Tommy John surgery. The rehab time for repair usually is shorter.

OBIT: Pat Zachry, who won a share of the 1976 National League Rookie of the Year for the World Series champion Cincinnati Reds and was traded to the New York Mets the following year for Tom Seaver, has died. He was 71.

Zachry died Thursday at son Josh’s home in Austin, Texas, following a lengthy illness, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. Zachry would have turned 72 on April 24.

A 6-foot-5 right-hander, Zachry was 69-67 with a 3.52 ERA in 10 major league season with the Reds (1976-77), Mets (1977-82), Los Angeles Dodgers (1983-84) and Philadelphia (1985).

He went 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA in his first season and tied San Diego pitcher Butch Metzger in the rookie award voting. Zachry beat Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, then won Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium as the Reds swept New York for their second straight title.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

DODGERS 4, CUBS 1: Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched out of two early jams in five scoreless innings for his first career major league victory, Max Muncy hit a two-run single and Los Angeles won in Chicago.

Shohei Ohtani had two hits and reached base three times to help the Dodgers improve to 8-3 with their fifth victory in six games.

MARLINS 3, CARDINALS 1: The winless Miami Marlins, who are off to the worst start in the 33-year history of the franchise, dropped their ninth consecutive game, losing 3-1 to Steve Matz and the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Iván Herrera and Brendan Donovan each had two hits for St. Louis. Jordan Walker contributed an RBI double.

Matz (2-0) surrendered four hits in five scoreless innings. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his third save.

Miami’s Trevor Rogers (0-1) was charged with three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked three.

The 0-9 Marlins are the only winless team in baseball. The New York Mets, who dropped their first seven games, beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Thursday for their first win.

PHILLIES 5, NATIONALS 2: J.T. Realmuto followed an intentional walk to Bryce Harper by driving a hanging curveball over the wall for a three-run homer, helping Philadelphia win in Washington.

Phillies starter Ranger Suárez (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings. José Alvarado, Philadelphia’s fourth pitcher, threw the ninth for his second save in two chances this season.

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