The actions had been deliberate, meticulous, together with his leg kick in gradual movement and his arm at a equally languid pace. But on Monday, John Means threw a baseball. And for the Orioles, that vital step for his or her ace is one other constructive be aware heading into the offseason.
The brief video Means posted to Twitter on Monday captured a part of his first throwing session since he underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure in April. The left-hander has steadily ramped up his restoration from the surgical procedure in the course of the course of the season, working primarily within the weight room earlier than Monday’s throwing session.
In June, whereas spending time with the Orioles throughout a collection in opposition to the Kansas City Royals, the big steel brace he wore on his left arm was gone. By August, his bodily remedy centered on constructing shoulder power. At that point, Means mentioned he deliberate to go to the Orioles’ spring coaching advanced in Sarasota, Florida, “sometime after the New Year, and that’s when it really starts to build up.”
A timeline for Means’ return to the rotation stays murky, however he’s anticipated to come back again halfway by the 2023 season. Once he does, the 29-year-old will add one other choice to a rotation that’s stocked with extremely rated arms. Prospects DL Hall and Grayson Rodriguez are anticipated to vie for locations within the rotation, and robust years from right-handers Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish go away them in line for a rotation spot, as effectively.
Right-hander Jordan Lyles, who led Baltimore in 2022 with 179 innings, has a group possibility for subsequent season value $11 million with a $1 million buyout and can be one of many group’s largest offseason choices. And with government vice chairman and common supervisor Mike Elias vowing to extend spending, a free agent signing or a commerce is also on the horizon.
Means left after 4 innings in his second begin final season, and assessments revealed that his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow was “about 90% torn,” he mentioned. Means threw all of eight innings for Baltimore in 2022, one yr after he compiled 146 2/3 innings with a 3.62 ERA and threw the Orioles’ first solo no-hitter since 1969.
So whereas the actions Monday had been gradual, Means throwing a baseball as soon as extra is a step in the suitable path.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com