A day after landing left-hander Garrett Crochet, the Boston Red Sox are apparently still looking for pitching. They've been linked to the Mariners with intentions of acquiring one of their rotation pieces, presumably right-hander Luis Castillo, but have also reportedly been in talks with former Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow). The 31-year-old was an All-Star in 2019 and was second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season. However, it has been a challenge for him to stay healthy in recent years. From 2022 through 2024, the lefty has pitched a total of 52 1/3 innings after two Tommy John surgeries derailed those campaigns. Means had the second surgery in June 2024, so the southpaw likely won't be available until the second half of the 2025 season. Whenever he does make it back, with a career K/9 of just 7.5, he'd likely only help in other areas like ERA and WHIP for fantasy managers.
Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow) underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career on Monday, and his second such operation in two years. The recovery timeline is 12 to 18 months, meaning that Means will miss the rest of this season and at least half of 2025. The 31-year-old southpaw is set to be a free agent after the 2024 campaign, so it's a really bad time for him to have another elbow reconstruction. His first Tommy John surgery came in April of 2022. Given the lengthy rehab he has in front of him, Means is likely to remain on the free-agent market for a while before interested teams take a chance on him for 2025 and beyond. Means was a first-time All-Star back in 2019, but the elbow injuries continue to mount and he's made just 10 starts for Baltimore since the start of the 2022 season.
Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow) will miss the rest of the season, according to general manager Mike Elias. Means is set to undergo left-elbow surgery, but Elias said it's not yet known whether he'll have Tommy John surgery. That won't be known until Means goes in for his season-ending procedure. The 31-year-old had been seeking a second opinion after landing on the 15-day injured list last Thursday with a left-forearm strain. It's the same injury that caused him to get a late start to the 2024 season. Means has already had Tommy John surgery once in his career, but this time around he could have an internal-brace procedure. Either way, the veteran southpaw is going to miss the rest of this year and most likely half of the 2025 campaign. Fantasy managers that had been stashing him can cut bait in redraft leagues.
John Means Seeking Second Opinion On Throwing Elbow
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (forearm) will be seeking a second opinion on his throwing elbow according to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. On Thursday the Orioles placed Means on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain, the same strain that caused him to miss the beginning of the season. Given that the forearm injury is now causing concern for his throwing elbow, it's not a great sign for the lefty. Means could likely stay on the injured list for much longer than 15 days if the second opinion delivers similar news as the first opinion. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Means to be active any time in the near future.
The Baltimore Orioles placed left-hander John Means (forearm) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a left-forearm strain and recalled right-hander Jonathan Heasley from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. The frustration around Means continues after he was forced to leave his start on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals early due to a flare-up with his left forearm. The 31-year-old southpaw got a late start to the 2024 campaign due to a similar issue with his arm, so fantasy managers should expect him to miss more than the 15 days on the IL. The O's are likely to play it safe with Means at this point, although hopefully he'll be able to return to Baltimore's starting rotation before the All-Star break in mid-July. With Means now sidelined again, it's likely that Cole Irvin will take his rotation spot.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (elbow) has been removed early during Wednesday's outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. The left-hander saw a decrease in velocity during his three innings before being taken out of the contest. The team is calling it left elbow discomfort, so the expectation is that Means will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the issue. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on his status.
John Means Throws Seven Scoreless Innings In Season Debut
Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (1-0) allowed three hits and no walks while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Means started the season on the injured list after having a setback on his surgically repaired left elbow. Means picked up his first victory of the season. He completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk and made his 2024 debut on Saturday against the Reds. He was stellar in Saturday's win, blanking the Reds over seven innings on 85 pitches. The 31-year-old owned a 2.66 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 10:4 K: BB across 23 2/3 innings in 2023. Means will look to build on Saturday's performance at his next start on Friday against the Seattle Mariners.
Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (forearm), who was activated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, will make his 2024 season debut on Saturday against the Reds in Cincinnati. Although the 31-year-old lefty has been bothered by injuries in recent seasons, he's worth a flier in mixed fantasy leagues now that he's back in Baltimore's starting rotation. The matchup in Cincinnati against the Reds in his first start isn't the greatest spot to roll him out there, but his final minor-league rehab start should have fantasy managers encouraged that he can transfer it into his first big-league start of the year. Means struck out eight over seven shutout innings for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. He was an All-Star for the O's back in 2019 and placed second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season.
The Baltimore Orioles activated left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. We knew that the O's planned to activate Means at some point this week, but now it's official. The 31-year-old southpaw will take the rotation spot of the injured Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) for now, but eventually one of Albert Suarez or Cole Irvin will get booted from the rotation when right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) returns this week. It's unclear yet when Means will make his season debut for the O's. If it doesn't come in the series finale on Thursday against the New York Yankees, it should come this weekend in a series against the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. He struck out eight hitters and threw 95 pitches in his final minor-league rehab start, so Means shouldn't be limited at all from a pitch-count perspective.
The Baltimore Orioles plan to activate left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list this week to make his 2024 season debut, according to manager Brandon Hyde. It's unclear exactly what day Means will make his his return to Baltimore's starting rotation, but the best bet is on Friday in Cincinnati against the Reds. That wouldn't be the greatest matchup for the 31-year-old southpaw for fantasy streamers, but he did look good in his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk, tossing seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. Right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) is also on track to make his season debut for the O's this week, so both Cole Irvin and Albert Suarez will soon be bumped from the team's rotation.
