O's skipper Brandon Hyde looking forward to John Means' return on Tuesday

As left-hander John Means gets set to make his first major league start since April 13, 2022 tomorrow night against St. Louis, the anticipation is building.

The Orioles are delighted to have Means back and now, even with just 20 games left, the club will try to determine if Means can contribute to their postseason run.

Today, manager Brandon Hyde was asked what is realistic to expect from Means on Tuesday night versus St. Louis.

“Well he is built up to five-plus innings,” Hyde said. “But we haven’t seen him pitch in a major league stadium in almost two years. How he handles his expectations, anticipation and nerves. I’m sure it’s going to feel like his first start in the big leagues.”

“So, you know, I really don’t have many expectations. I’m going to be excited to watch him. Excited to have him out there and hope he pitches well.”

You have to figure the team would be ecstatic to see Means even approach his 2021 performance. Then in 26 starts, he recorded a 3.62 ERA, 1.030 WHIP with a 1.6 walk rate and 8.2 K rate. He then made just two starts in 2022 before he was shut down.

And now the long-awaited return is just hours away.

Hyde said he and Means have not yet had any discussions about a possible postseason role. There are boxes to check before they get to that point.

“I haven’t had any conversation with him about anything postseason-wise," he stated. "It’s been a lot of conversations about how he is feeling. How his progression has gone. He had the setback this summer and we talked about that. But I haven’t talked with him about anything beyond tomorrow.”

“I know he’s going to be – he can’t wait to get out there. It’s hard for a player to be out that long and watch us have the success we’ve had and him being a part of that but in the dugout. Not able to participate. I’m sure that’s been a real challenge. I know he’s ready to pitch tomorrow.”

Of course, it would be a huge lift if Means looked like his old self.

“Absolutely it would be," said Hyde. "But I don’t want to put any more expectations on him honestly. It’s his first start coming off Tommy John. Middle of September in a pennant race. So we have to keep that in perspective. It isn’t the middle of June on a Tuesday night somewhere. He’s going to be thrown in with 20 games to go against (Nolan) Arenado, (Paul) Goldschmidt and (Wilson) Contreras. Not an easy task.”

“Just want to see him out there. Looking forward to watching him compete. Always have. Always loved watching him pitch and hope he pitches well.”  

O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias discussed Means today during a press conference in the O's dugout.

"I'm happy for him, especially having a little kind of freakish setback there. Having him back is a big thing," said Elias. "It's been a long time since he walked off the mound here in April of 2022. A lot has happened for us and for him. 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 this team."

"In terms of impact - I think we'll see. We have to remember, he's missed a lot of time. He's now just coming up from Triple-A. It is probably not the norm for a guy to be coming back from Tommy John surgery and be dropped off in a pennant race in mid-September the way he is being asked to do. But he's excited about it."

"For us, a big part of the strategy for the last month or so down the stretch is having the depth and numbers to withstand whatever events are going to come our way for the next 20 games. And getting John back is a big part of that."

"So, we have numerous starting pitching options. We've got really quality guys in Triple-A right now and a good group here. It's kind of all hands on deck from a pitching perspective for the next 20 games and hopefully beyond."