Means to rejoin team to start today’s game

BOSTON — Fenway Park has been host to plenty of highlights in John Means’ career, the site of his major league debut in 2018 and first opening day start with the Orioles in 2021.

It’s also where, this weekend, he rejoined the team in advance of his long-awaited activation from the injured list after his April 2022 Tommy John elbow reconstruction. Means, the Orioles’ top starting pitcher from 2019 to 2021, will make his first major league appearance in nearly 17 months Tuesday as Baltimore’s starter against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, manager Brandon Hyde said after Sunday’s series finale with the Boston Red Sox.

The 30-year-old left-hander returns to the rotation he shepherded for much of the organization’s rebuild. Before Sunday’s game and official news of his looming activation, Means said even joining the Orioles as a reliever would not dull what he’s out to achieve with a team pursuing its first playoff berth since 2016.

“I just want to win the World Series, to be honest with you,” Means said.

Much has changed since Means last pitched at Camden Yards. At the time, the Orioles were coming off yet another losing campaign. Now, the team has the best record in the American League.

“A lot’s happened for us. A lot has happened for him. I think it’s been tough for him to see the team turn the corner and be on the sidelines. I know he’s really itching to come help his team,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said.

Both Hyde and manager Brandon Hyde sought to temper expectations as Means returns from a serious surgery and a long recovery.

“We’ve got to remember, he’s missed a lot of time,” Elias said. “He’s now just coming up from Triple-A. It’s probably not the norm for a guy to come back from Tommy John surgery and be dropped off in a pennant race in mid-September in the way he’s being asked to do, but that’s where we’re at. I know he’s excited about it.”

The Orioles will need to clear a spot on their active roster for Means, though there is already an opening on their 40-man roster for him to come off the 60-day injured list. Means was an All-Star and the runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year in 2019 and was announced as the Orioles’ opening day starter the next three seasons, though arm fatigue prevented him from making the assignment in 2020.

Between unexpectedly making the season-opening roster in 2019 and exiting his second start of 2022 with an elbow injury that necessitated surgery, Means posted a 3.72 ERA in 69 outings for Baltimore, one of which was a 12-strikeout no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners in May 2021.

A year later, he was on the IL, undergoing a procedure with a recovery time typically lasting more than a year. The Orioles initially suggested he could return this July, but as he began to progress toward a return in May, Means suffered a strain in his upper back that was unrelated to his elbow injury.

On Aug. 10, he made his first rehabilitation outing with Double-A Bowie, and over six starts split between there and Triple-A

Norfolk, he gave up nine runs in 21 ⅔ innings with 22 strikeouts. He pitched into the fifth inning in each appearance with the Tides, building up to 86 pitches in his penultimate outing before completing five innings on 67 pitches Wednesday. He threw a bullpen session Saturday at Fenway Park.

“I feel really good,” Means said. “Body feels good. Pitches feel good, so I’m ready to go.”

Means said he was pleased with his repertoire, though his low-90s fastball velocity was a tick below what he showed before the injury. He praised the movement on his off-speed pitches — his signature change-up, plus a curveball and slider — and the reactions each of his offerings drew from hitters.

The next test is how they perform against major leaguers. Means becomes another pitcher in the mix to start for the Orioles come the playoffs. Young right-handers Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer have established themselves as front-runners to get the ball in a postseason series; only Kremer has shared the Orioles’ rotation with Means. But veterans Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty have struggled with consistency, and Means recapturing the form that made him Baltimore’s best starter during the rebuild could give the Orioles a set foursome come October.

They’ve got to get there first, and Means is excited to help them do so.

“I’ve been waiting a while for this,” Means said. “Just looking forward to whenever that opportunity is, just try to take advantage of it.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun. This is what we dreamed about for a while, so I’m glad to finally feel part of it.”