Baltimore Orioles ' left-hander John Means is likely to start the season on the injured list, according to reports.
We had heard on Thursday that Means was behind schedule because of an offseason elbow issue, but now we know that he's not on track to be ready for Opening Day.
According to Jake Rill of MLB.com on "X:"
John Means said it’s “probably unlikely” he’ll be built up in time to be part of #Orioles’ Opening Day rotation. He said it’s disappointing, but he’s confident in his teammates to have success early in ‘24.
The news hurts twice as bad because the O's also learned that right-hander Kyle Bradish has a UCL issue and is also going to miss time at the start of the year. For an O's team that won 101 games last season and has World Series expectations, missing two starters at the beginning of the year is not ideal, especially in the deeply talented American League East.
It's also not just the starting rotation that's been affected by injuries. Closer Felix Bautista is also out for the season with Tommy John surgery.
Means is a six-year veteran who has spent his entire career with the Orioles. Lifetime, he's 21-26 with a 3.74 ERA. He was the anchor of the O's staff when they were going through their painful, years-long rebuild. Means made the All-Star team in 2019, a year in which he won 12 games.
In the absence of Means and Bradish, the O's will rely on the newly-acquired Corbin Burnes. Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez will also be a big part of the rotation while Cole Irvin could potentially earn a spot.
Baltimore's first spring training game is February 24.
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