John Means is within the early phases of his restoration from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure, however the mustache he sported Wednesday within the Orioles’ clubhouse was in classic type.
“Gotta keep it interesting, you know?” Baltimore’s left-handed ace stated. “I was losing my mind.”
Without baseball as he recovers from his season-ending process, Means has turned to facial hair. He’s solely three weeks right into a restoration and rehabilitation course of that can take a minimum of a 12 months, however he stated he and medical doctors are happy up to now.
“Honestly, it’s going better than it’s supposed to be,” Means stated. “My range [of motion], they said we’re ahead of schedule, so I don’t know, three weeks, and we got 12 months to go. Little victories here and there.”
Means unexpectedly exited his second begin after solely 4 innings, with testing finally revealing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow was “about 90% torn,” he stated. Dr. Keith Meister carried out the surgical procedure in Arlington, Texas, on April 27, three day after Means’ twenty ninth birthday.
Means spent his offseason coaching at Meister’s Texas Metroplex Institute, hoping to strengthen a left shoulder that has landed him on the injured checklist in two of his first three main league seasons. In 2021, Means had a 2.05 ERA by 11 begins earlier than exiting his twelfth outing within the first inning with a left shoulder pressure. He missed practically two months, then had a 4.88 ERA after returning.
He had no earlier elbow accidents earlier than this one. He’s again at TMI to rehab.
“I’m definitely going to be working out like crazy to try and keep that competitive edge and all that,” Means stated. “I’m looking forward to coming back. I’m looking forward to the grind of this.”
He’s additionally getting extra time round his household, watching his 1-year-old son, McCoy.
“That’s been the best part, let me tell you,” Means stated. “He’s swinging off the tee now, and he’s running around constantly. I’m getting my workout in just chasing him around the living room and kitchen to try to keep his hands off the oven and microwave.”
Means stated he hopes to go to the Orioles a minimum of as soon as a month and shall be touring with them for his or her upcoming highway sequence in New York. The day after, he’ll have his arbitration listening to to find out his wage for this season.
“It’s tough watching games and that sort of thing,” Means stated. “You just want to be there — good, bad, whatever it is, you want to be there for your team and be a part of it. That part’s been hard, but I’m getting used to it. I’m going to come back as much as I possibly can to be around the guys.”
Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde has been happy with how Baltimore’s pitching workers has dealt with dropping Means, who served as their opening day starter for the second straight season. Having him round once in a while will profit the opposite pitchers, Hyde stated.
“He’s still a big part of our team,” Hyde stated, “and it’s great to have him in the building.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com