Baltimore Orioles Dealt Bad News On The Injury Front

Everything's been coming up roses for the Baltimore Orioles this season. Their sudden and surprising jump into contender status has been a thrill a minute. And they've been doing it all without one of their hoped-for top starters this season. 

Today they learned that John Means has suffered an unfortunate setback during his Tommy John recovery, and his return is now much farther off than expected.

Per #Orioles GM Mike Elias, John Means suffered a scapular/upper back strain during his Tommy John surgery recovery. A July return now probably out of the picture.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) May 26, 2023

Orioles general manager Mike Elias says that Means suffered a scapular/upper back strain during his Tommy John surgery recovery, though it's not directly related to the TJ procedure or the elbow. 

He had the surgery just over a year ago and was expected to be back by the All-Star Break this season. Now, a July return is no longer realistic, but Elias said he is “optimistic” Means will return in 2023. He added, "We’re still very much hoping on getting him back this season, but this is obviously going to slow things down and tack on some time before we actually see him out pitching in games. ... This isn’t the end of the world or anything."

Means was an All-Star in 2019 and the runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year. In his last full season, the left-hander made 26 starts for the O's in 2021 while posting a solid 3.62 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP with a tremendous 134:26 K/BB ratio.

He only made two starts last season before being shut down.

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