The Orioles’ best starting pitcher during the rebuild could soon rejoin the club as it sits atop the American League standings.
John Means, Baltimore’s opening day starter the previous two seasons, will begin his minor league rehabilitation assignment Thursday with Double-A Bowie, the Orioles said Tuesday evening. When the left-hander toes the rubber for the Baysox in Richmond, Virginia, it will be his first time pitching in a game since he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow in April 2022.
Thursday will start the clock on Means’ potential return to Baltimore, as minor league rehab assignments for pitchers cannot extend past 30 days. Thirty days from Thursday is Sept. 8. Means could return sooner than that, but given the severity of his injury and the difficulty of recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction, it wouldn’t be a surprise for his assignment to take upward of a month.
An early September return would mark an approximately 16-month recovery for Means — a fairly normal length for a pitcher. The original goal for Means was to return in July, but he suffered a nonthrowing-related injury in May when he strained his teres major muscle in the scapula area of his upper back.
It’s unclear what role Means will have should he return to Baltimore in September. The Orioles’ rotation appears full with Kyle Gibson, Jack Flaherty, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez filling the five spots. But Rodriguez has already surpassed his single-season high in innings this year, while Bradish and Kremer are approaching theirs. Flaherty, who the Orioles acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline, eclipsed the 100-inning mark this season for the first time since 2019. And Tyler Wells, the Orioles’ best starting pitcher in the first half, is down in Double-A for what manager Brandon Hyde called a “reset” after the right-hander struggled mightily in the second half amid workload concerns of his own.
It’s also possible Means could be in the bullpen when he returns, either in a long relief role similar to the one Cole Irvin has occupied since leaving the rotation in mid-July or a middle relief one as another left-handed option alongside Danny Coulombe and Cionel Pérez.
In late July, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the club hasn’t determined what role Means will fill when he returns.
“I think it’s going to depend on so much that I don’t have right now,” Elias said. “Like who’s on our team, how they’re doing, who’s healthy, how he’s doing. We have no concept of that. Obviously he’s a starting pitcher as far as a career standpoint and a skill standpoint, but the circumstances of the team and him will drive that decision.”
In 356 2/3 innings from 2018 to 2022, Means posted a 20-24 record and a 3.81 ERA with 308 strikeouts versus just 73 walks. He was the Orioles’ All-Star in 2019, ending the season with a 3.60 ERA. He managed to go 12-11 for a team that lost 108 games in 2019, winning 22.2% of the Orioles’ 54 wins. In 2021, he was again Baltimore’s best starter with a 3.62 ERA in 146 2/3 innings.
Means has split his recovery this year between the club’s facility in Sarasota, Florida, and Baltimore. The club he’d rejoin is much different from the one he last pitched for in April 2022. Before Adley Rutschman debuted in May 2022, the Orioles were still a rebuilding club and considered one of the majors’ worst teams. Since, they’ve been one of the league’s best and this year own the AL’s best record at 70-42 entering Tuesday night’s game versus the Houston Astros.
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