Orioles add veteran starter to injured list.
Two years after having Tommy John surgery, Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means is back on the injured list. Means left Wednesday’s start early after experiencing elbow discomfort and a noticeable drop in velocity. Means has had his fair share of arm issues, particularly in recent months. Due to Tommy John surgery, the 31-year-old left-hander has only made six starts in 2022 and 2023.
Means has made only four starts this season due to a forearm issue that has kept him out of action since spring training. Means has four starts this season, with a 2-0 record, 2.61 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and two walks in 20 ⅔ innings. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit before Wednesday’s rain delay, but he would not return for the fourth. Following the game, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde announced that the left-hander would be tested to evaluate the severity of a potential injury.
Means tore his ulnar collateral ligament four starts into the 2022 season and has had a hard recovery. He started four games after being restored off the injured list in September before suffering an elbow flare-up. His flare-up kept him off the Division Series roster and delayed his winter throwing program by a month. Means has been a key member of the Baltimore Orioles rotation since 2019, when he became an All-Star and threw the franchise’s tenth no-hitter.
Orioles Place John Means on the Injured List
In a matching move, the Orioles brought up right-hander Jonathan Heasley from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Means on the 26-man roster. Heasley made three bullpen appearances for Baltimore earlier this season, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 4 ⅓ innings. He was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk, where he has just one run allowed and 18 strikeouts in 20 innings. With Mike Baumann’s departure, the right-hander should work in middle relief.
Baltimore’s plans to go to a six-man rotation have become more challenging as Means is sidelined for an unknown amount of time. Cole Irvin replaced Means in long relief on Wednesday and will most likely pitch outside of the rotation. The hope is that Means will not be sidelined for too long. Otherwise, the Orioles would lose a major member of their starting rotation, who had recently regained health.
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